A New Beginning
by Flora Yei
Summary: A few months later,Yoh visited a place only to find the unexpected and later on encountered someone that he never thought he would in a long time...Was it just his imagination? Disclaimers : I do not own Shaman King.
1. chapter 1

Hi guys….i'm a newbie here and this is my first fanfic so don't expect too much from me…and also please review after reading my fanfic. Your opinions will be appreciated though there might be some people who will criticize my fanfic…well, people learn from mistakes don't they???

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Chapter 1

It was only 4 a.m. in the morning. As he walked through the silent night thinking about the horrifying day he had gone through a few months ago, he felt that guilt washing over him again. He really hope that it was just a nightmare despite he knew that it was fultile. While he was walking, he suddenly felt that there was someone else that was walking behind him.

He abruptly stopped and turned around. There was no one else other than himself and a huge tree. He continued with his walk and heard footsteps from behind and turned behind him. Again he saw nothing. He knew he felt something. Somehow it felt familiar but at the same time it felt frightening. He continued with his walk again and this time he walk faster.

At the same time, the footsteps were also pacing up as if they we're chasing him. He began running and the footsteps are still heard very clearly in his ears. He turned around only to see a demon behind him.

'WAHHHHHH!!!!!!A DEMON!!!!!'

He ran with all his might and blamed himself for not bringing his guardian spirit with him. The demon managed to grasp its leg and he fell down on the floor. The demon held its left hand and was about to kill him with its sharp and long finger when the demon suddenly roared in pain. The boy quickly escape from his grasp and without knowing it the demon was on fire and in a few moments all that remained were ashes of the demon and thick smoke covering the area. Then, he saw a silhouette of a person approaching to him. He knows too well whose silhouette it belonged to. Even so, he couldn't believe his own eyes.

'You really are something…to thought that you actually walk leisurely with a demon? You're really courageous Yoh…'He smiled mischievously at him….

'HAOOOO!!!!'

Yoh stared incredulously at the person who was now standing in front of him.'**It can't be him...it can't be…'**he thought to himself.

'What do you mean it can't be?I'm standing here and reading your minds alright…'the person addressed frowned at him.

'But….but I thought you are supposed to be dead! i killed you with my very own hands!'he grimaced at the memory and felt guiltiness washing over him as he ended his statement.

'How naive…you didn't change at all since the last time I saw you in the tournament…'Hao smirked at him.'It's all in the past already so just forget about it and continue with your living already…'

'What did you just say??Aren't you angry at what I did???Yoh stared at him in confusion.

'You heard me…anyway you better leave now or you are going to be in trouble soon…'Hao said as he began to disappear.

'Wait!!!You haven't answered my questions yet!!!HAOOO!!!'


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

'ARGGGHHHH… WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!' Yoh exclaimed. He was now drenched and awake. He froze when he saw the person who was standing in front of him. It was a blonde haired girl and she was wearing a black dress. She was holding a bucket in her hands. She had just poured water on him. A warrior spirit was standing behind the girl. He looked at Yoh warily for he knew what was coming.

'What did you say Yoh???' the girl gave him a murderous glare. Then, a loud slap is heard within the area of Funbari Onsen.

'Ouch! That really hurts…' Yoh touched his cheek while holding a long list in his other hands.

'You shouldn't be sleeping during your practice. It's dangerous especially when Anna is around the inn. You'll get slapped by her in an instant.' his guardian spirit told him.

'But the Shaman Fight is already over. And why do I have to be the one to do the grocery shopping?' he held up the list and sighed.

--Flashback--

'Since you sleep and skipped your training…I shall punish you…' Anna held up a list.

'I've already listed all the stuff that's needed…now go and buy them.'

'Eh, me again!**' **Anna gave him another slap and he ended up running out of the inn.

--End of flashback--

Suddenly, something came up to his mind.

'Amidamaru…lets go somewhere else first…I want to show you something…'

'Go where?' the person addressed asked.

'Just follow me…' Yoh replied.

They both went into a forest pretty far away from town and arrived at a clearing land with a memorial pole written 'Hao Asakura'.

'Keep this a secret between me and you alright?' Yoh told his guardian spirit.

'Yoh-dono he doesn't deserve this…he is a m--'

'He is still my brother and I think he is only a murderer because he is too lonely and people are too frightened of him that they betrayed him. I knew it because I saw his memories when I was within him. I knew he never wanted to do this…'

Amidamaru gaze at the memorial pole for a while before turning to face his master.

'Alright…then it's a secret between just the two of us'

'I knew I can trust you Amidamaru…' he smiled at his guardian spirit.

Then he cleaned up the memorial pole and got everything ready. Once he is ready, he gently took off his headphones and knelt down in front of the memorial pole and bow to it several times. Amidamaru stood beside him. After that, they went back as if nothing had happened. After finish buying the groceries, they went home.

'You're late! Where have you been?' Anna asked Yoh as soon as the door slid open.

'um…shopping for the ingredients you asked???' Yoh replied.

'Where's your headphones?'

'What are you talking about…Its right her--'Yoh touched his head to find that his headphone is missing.

'Eh…I was wearing it all the time except that time when I--' Yoh realised that he had left his headphones at the side of his brother's memorial pole.

'**Uh-oh…' **He thought to himself. He ran towards the direction of the door.

'Anna please wait for a moment will you…Amidamaru and I are going to take back my headpho--'

'I'm sorry Yoh-dono but I'm afraid you have to go yourself...' he said to his master as Anna had tied him up with her blue beads.

'Until you return…I shall have Amidamaru with me' Anna said sternly.

'Anna…' Yoh gave her a pleading look.

'ARE YOU TESTING MY PATIENCE???HURRY UP!!!'

Yoh quickly ran out before she decided to give him a third slap. A few moments later he arrived at the forest. He was running all the way from his house. He was having difficulties in breathing. Then he slowly walked towards his brother's memorial pole and reached for his headphones which he had left. He walked slowly through the forest while listening to his favourite song. A demon then materialized out of nowhere. He made an eye contact with the demon and screamed. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him.

'**It's the same demon from before…but w-w-wasn't it just a mere dream…' **he thought to himself.

Suddenly he collapsed to the ground. The demon had caught him and was going to kill him.

'**What am I going to do?He couldn't possibly come and help me now…he is dead already…' **Yoh closed his eyes and pray to himself when the demon suddenly roared in pain.

He opened his eyes and saw a long sword penetrated into the demon's body from behind. The demon began to crumble and soon there's nothing left of it.

'M-M-Matamune…'Yoh stuttered.

'Long time no see Yoh-sama…'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'H-H-How on earth are you here?Aren't you supposed to have passed on? WHAT'S ON EARTH IS GOING ON?' Yoh stared at the cat incredulously.

'Don't need to get so agitated Yoh-sama…I was only here because Hao-sama told me to come and help you. Now that my job is done I'll be goin-'

'Wait! Did you just say H-H-Hao asked you to come?' his sentence was abruptly cut off by Yoh.

'Opps…I shouldn't be telling you that. Forget about what I just said.'

'**He is alive…he is watching over me all this while without me noticing…. why hadn't I realized it sooner?'** Yoh thought to himself.

'Anyway now that my job is done I'll be go-'

'Matamune! Please take me to him…'

'Sorry Yoh-sama but I can't do that…'

'I need to talk to him…Please let me see him…'

'It's Hao-sama's order that I can't tell you anything yet I have told you…I've already disobey his order. Now if you'll excuse me…'

'WAIT! Matamune!' the cat spirit had already disappeared from sight.

He walked around the city while contemplating about what had happened in the forest and thought about what Matamune had told him. While he was standing across the street staring blankly at the opposite side of the road, someone caught his attention. He saw his other twin looking at him in the other side of the road. He was wearing long sleeved shirt and trousers. He still wore his red glove though. As soon as the light had turned green, he rushed to the other side of the road to find his brother but he was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he gave up and returned home disappointed with himself.

'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOUR FIANCEE IS ABOUT TO STARVE TO DEA-' Anna began to notice the disappointment in him as he doesn't seemed to bother her scolding at all.

'I'm home…' he voice was so soft that Anna could hardly hear what he said. Then, he walked past her and went into the kitchen without saying anything. Ryu, Manta, Amidamaru, Horohoro, and Ren appeared from the kitchen and greeted him but he didn't reply. While eating, Yoh was silent and they began to worry. Finally, Horohoro who couldn't bear being quiet for more than ten minutes slammed the kitchen table. Everyone startled.

'ASAKURA YOH!WHAT IS THE WRONG WITH YOU!YOU HAVE BEEN ACTING STRANGE EVER SINCE YOU CAME BACK!INSTEAD OF ACTING LIKE A STRANGER WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL US WHAT'S BOTHERING YOU!'

'Huh?' Yoh stared at him in confusion.

'I hate to admit it but Horohoro is right. What's wrong with you today? It's as if we don't even know you anymore.' Ren responded.

'SEE!EVEN SHARK HAIRED BOY AGREED!'

'What did you call me? Who do you think you are calling me SHARK HEAD?' Ren lifted his Kwan Dao and pointed towards the blue haired boy. SO WHAT? Horohoro retorted. Ren got angry and chased him around the Funbari Onsen vicinity.

'Thanks for the food.' Yoh said as he had already finished having his dinner and he immediately went upstairs.

Everyone gazed at Yoh in disbelief as he went up. He had finished his dinner in less than 20 minutes. After brushing his teeth, he changed his clothes and lay on the futon. He wanted to see his brother and he wanted to talk to him. He couldn't bring himself to sleep at all.

Meanwhile, Hao was laying on the soft grass stargazing. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and trousers which had became a habit not long ago. He knew what had happened because he had been watching over Yoh until the moment he saw him at the opposite side of the road…he didn't told Matamune about it though...

'You shouldn't have told him you know…now look at what you've done to him…' he said to his cat spirit.

'I'm really sorry that I spilled the beans Hao-sama…' Matamune stood beside his master.

'Well…what's done is done so there is no use thinking too much about it although I am afraid Yoh wouldn't think that way…'

'Then why not Hao-sama just go and talk to Yoh-sama? I'm sure Yoh-sama would be happy as well...'

Hao chuckled lightly.

'Easier said than done' then he stood up and dusted off the dirt in his clothing.

'It's late already…let's go back Matamune'

'Yes,Hao-sama...'

And they both went back into an old and abandoned shrine in the deeper part of the forest. The forest in which the memorial pole that his younger brother had carved for him resides.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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'Tick...tick...tick...RING!!!' the clock beside Asakura Yoh's side of the futon sounded loudly the second it struck 4 a.m. The said person sleepily opened his eyes, he groaned and turned to his other side, placing a pillow on top of his head to drown out the sound of his alarm clock. He hadn't had enough sleep yet. He was thinking too much of his twin brother last night. However, the loud banging of his door prevented him from doing so. Then, Anna's voice can be heard.

'Yoh! Wake up this INSTANT and turn off your alarm!' Anna demanded.

Yoh reluctantly woke up and turned off the alarm before heading towards the sliding door. As soon as he opened the door he was greeted by Anna's legendary left slap.

'Ouch! What was that for?' Yoh touched his cheek.

'It's already 4.01 a.m. in the morning so go and practice!'

Yoh groaned mentally and went to brush his teeth before going back into his room to change his clothes. After folding his futon, he went downstairs and greeted everyone before heading out of the house with Amidamaru.

'It was Saturday yet Anna wouldn't let me sleep longer…' he told Amidamaru but the person addressed didn't give any reply. He stared at his guardian spirit for a while.

'What's wrong Amidamaru?' he asked his spirit.

His spirit was snapped out of his thoughts.

'Nothing…it's just….ummm….did something happened yesterday when you went back to claim your headphones??? You acted really strange as soon as you returned…' his spirit looked at him questioningly.

He stopped running. The smile on his face was struck off. He stared at his guardian spirit for a moment. He wasn't sure whether he should tell him or not. He gave it a second thought before replying…

'It's nothing in particular…'

'Are you sure Yoh-dono? But you wer--'

He sighed and reassured his spirit.

'I'm fine now…that's all that matters now…Anyway, we better get going or I won't be able to finish my run before noon. You know that right?' he gave his spirit his trademark grin. Amidamaru felt reassured after seeing his master smiling at him.

'Yes…Yoh-dono' and he continued running while being accompanied by his guardian spirit. He had reached his house before noon and as soon as he slid the door open he saw Anna standing in front of him holding a few envelop in her hand. Ryu, Manta, Ren and Horohoro were standing behind her and they were holding a plastic bag in their hands.

'Where are you guys going???' Yoh asked.

'We are going to buy stuff for yo--'Manta stopped when Anna shot him a withering glare. Then, she turned back to Yoh.

'Today you can have a rest from training. We'll be going out to buy groceries…'

'Groceries? I thought I have already bought all of it yesterday…'

Anna shot him a murderous glare. He gulped. His spirit looked at him warily.

'U-U-Ummm…well…I'll be going to have some fresh air outside then…bye…' with that he rushed out of the house.

Yoh heaved a sigh of relieve.

'Whheewww….that was so close…'

'Yeah…very close Yoh-dono…'

'So where are we going Yoh-dono?'

'Ummmm…errr…I'm not really sure myself…' he grinned sheepishly.

'What!!! b-b-but aren't you the one who walked here…'

'Somehow I just came…ehehehe…'

Amidamaru's jaws dropped. Yoh stopped abruptly. His eyes widened. Amidamaru looked at his master questioningly...

'What's wrong Yoh-dono?'

He pointed to a direction and Amidamaru followed the direction of his finger. His eyes widened in horror and disbelief…

'A-A-Amidamaru….I wasn't blind am I?' Yoh said to his spirit without shifting his gaze.

'H-H-H-Hao…he is Hao right???' he stuttered.

Standing at the opposite side of the road was his twin brother, staring at the both of them. The strangest part is that he was staring at the both of them in disbelief as well…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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He walked around the place wondering where he should go…as he kept on walking, he contemplated what his spirit had told him…

**'Why not Hao-sama just go and talk to Yoh-sama? I'm sure Yoh-sama would be happy as well…'**

Would he actually be happy to see him? He thought to himself. He needed time. He needed time to think over. It was thanks to his little brother that he had finally found himself again and he wanted to thank him. Hence, he watched his younger brother from afar and he even invaded his dream to tell him not to felt guilty for what he had done. Then, he saved his life by sending his guardian spirit to kill the demon that threatened to take his life.

Even so, he knew that nobody will ever accept him. In truth, he never wanted to be like that. He only ended up this way because everyone thought of him in such a way. However, right after that incident, he doesn't seem hate human anymore and he decided to stop killing people.

All the while he had been living in the abandoned shrine with Matamune to avoid himself from his younger brother and his friends but when he felt bored he would either go watch over his little brother from afar or wander around the city since he had nothing to do. That was why he was now roaming in the city…

'Hmmm…why did I come here??? Hao wondered. Somehow, he just came here out of his own will. His eyes wandered around the buildings and the street. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Standing in the opposite side of the road was his younger brother with his guardian spirit beside him. They were talking with each other when they realized that he was there. Their attention was then focused on each other.

'A-A-Amidamaru…I wasn't blind am I?'

'H-H-H-Hao…he is Hao right???' Yoh stuttered.

'**DAMN IT! Out of all people why him…I wouldn't mind if it's the lunatic iron maiden or that four-eyed guy from X-Laws but why him!!! But still…how did it happened???' **he thought to himself. He didn't think he would actually meet his brother here. Then a realization dawned upon him. He realized why he had come here now…it was because of his younger brother's longing to see him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now…he was only thinking of how to escape from here right now…

Yoh didn't know what to do…he had wanted to see his brother. He wanted it so badly and now he was standing in the opposite side of the road with him…but he didn't know what to do now that he'd seen him…

'**I need to get out of here NOW!!!' **Hao thought to himself…he began to run for that was the only thing he could think of right now …

'HAO WAIT!!!' he exclaimed but he didn't stop. He never intend to stop in the first place…Just then, the light had turned green. He quickly ran after his brother.

'Yoh-dono!' he followed his master as he ran after his brother.

'Yoh-dono! What do you think you are doing? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RUN AWAY FROM HIM NOT RUNNING AFTER HIM! He is a MURDERER! HE ONCE ABSORBED YOUR SOUL!' Amidamaru reminded him.

'AND HE ONCE SAVED MY LIFE!!!' he retorted.

'What do you mean Yoh-dono?' he was shocked at his master's word.

'Yesterday I was attacked by a demon when I went to take my headphone but I was saved by Matamune. I didn't tell you because I thought you won't believe me… '

'But I thought you said Matamune already passed on… and what does that have to do with him? And doesn't it meant that Matamune is the one who saved you?'

'Hao brought him back and he was the one who told Matamune to save me! Matamune said that himself!!!' he said as he tried to catch up with his brother.

Amidamaru stared at the long haired shaman for a moment. He never thought that the MURDERER would actually cared for his master especially when he knew that he once absorbed his master's soul but after hearing what Yoh said, he realized something. What his master had just said might be true…

'**It was the same from back then…' **Amidamaru thought to himself.

'Yoh-dono, I once sensed Hao's presence nearby our house…'

'Then why didn't you tell me???' Yoh asked.

'Well…the truth is that I couldn't confirm that it was him because somehow, it felt different …perhaps if my guessing is correct, Hao had changed...that's probably why he cared for you now Yoh-dono…' Amidamaru stared at the long haired shaman.

A grin formed on Yoh's face.

'**He really cared for me…even Amidamaru noticed it…Onii-chan, you really have changed you know…'**

Now that he knew that his brother had changed, he had a plan on his mind. He wasn't sure whether it was going to work or not but he is willing to try. He wanted to test his brother.

**['Damn it…stop chasing me already will you!'] **Hao thought to his brother.

'**Ehhh… I thought I heard him telling me to--' **

**['OF COURSE YOU HEARD ME!!! IT"S TELEPATHIC LINK!!! NOW GET LOST BEFORE I BURN YOU WITH MY SPIRIT OF FIRE!!!'] **Hao was beginning to get annoyed. He was suffering in pain.

The injury he got from his younger brother during the last tournament hasn't fully recovered yet. Based on his current condition, he was unable to use his spirit of fire. That was why he had called Matamune back and stayed in that abandoned shrine. Right now he really regretted coming here for a walk…

'**I SWEAR IF I EVER ESCAPED FROM HERE WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT, I** **WILL NEVER EVER COME HERE AGAIN!** then he silently cursed himself for coming to the city. The pain was getting harder and harder to ignore…

**['Hao! Why are you running away from me? Can't we sit down and talk like that time we did in the coffee shop?']**

'**Wait…I am running??? Why did I run when I can hide! What am I thinking!!!' **he groaned mentally. He had lost his calmness just by seeing his little brother. Now that he looked around the surroundings,he realized that he wasn't at the city anymore…he knew this place…Then he realised that he was at his younger brother's housing area. He recognized the lake that he was now passing by and took a turn to the right from the main road. Then, he hid himself in a huge tree. He was panting heavily when his twin arrived on the spot. He gulped.

'HAO!!!' Yoh exclaimed. He was also gasping for air. Amidamaru looked around before turning back to his master.

'He was still somewhere around here…I can sense him…' he told his master.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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'**Damn that samurai...'** he gritted his teeth. He knew that his younger brother's spirit can definitely sense him and he also knew that it won't be easy to hide his presence from him in his current condition. He felt angry for he had become so weak after the fight between him and his younger brother. Yoh lowered his head in disappointment knowing that his brother won't come out of his own will.

'I have no choice but to do it then….' Yoh said softly.

'**What was he trying to do now? I had a pretty bad feeling about this…' **he thought to himself as he looked at him questioningly. Albeit Yoh had said it softly, he could hear it very clearly what he had just said. He abruptly ran away and headed back to the main road. After some time, a loud splash was heard.

'**It couldn't be…' **he mused thoughtfully. He remembered that Yoh once said that he couldn't swim.

'**He wouldn't actually jump into the lake would he? He can't swim right? Or was it just a trick that he made up to lure me out??? Yes, it must be…I must not believe it. It must be a trap…I must not believe it I must not believe it I must not believe it…' **He repeated in his mind a few times like an incantation and jumped when he heard Yoh screaming for Hao to come out and help him. He was beginning to worry about his brother. He fought the urge to rush out and save his younger brother who was now in danger. Just then, he heard that samurai spirit calling at his master.

'YOH-DONO!!!' the spirit exclaimed. That did it. He got out of his hiding place and quickly ran towards the main road when someone wrapped his arms around him from behind. Hao was surprised and stiffened by the sudden gesture. He turned behind and saw his younger brother. He wasn't drenched and he was totally fine. Hao looked at him in surprise…

'I might not know where you're hiding but I knew you would definitely come and save me when I'm in danger…' he told his brother and embraced him more tightly.

'**How did he--' **then he frowned upon realizing what had actually fell into the lake.

He saw a wooden sword pierced in front of a huge tree and one of the branches had been cut off causing it to fell into the lake. His younger brother had cut them off and screamed for help just to lure him out of his hiding place.

'**It was obviously a trap and I, Asakura Hao had fallen for it…he screamed for help and his damned spirit…'** he blinked for a moment. That samurai spirit was nowhere to be seen. It was only him and his younger brother. Then, a realization dawned upon him. His younger brother had probably thought of him completely harmless right now. It irritated him because he thought of how weak he had become that even his younger brother dared to approach him alone. He might have considered burning him now but he was unable to use his spirit at the moment and he got more angry thinking about it. He pushed his twin away from him and Yoh fell on the floor surprised by his brother's sudden movement. He narrowed his eyes at the younger boy. The memories of his past began to come together and he felt really angry and hurt.

He was beginning to lose control of himself. He was fully aware of it and he quickly turned and walked away from his twin. He doesn't want to hurt him. He wanted time to think and he wanted to be ALONE…Apparently, it wasn't going to happen because his twin jogged to keep up with his pace.

'**This is going to be a longggg day…' **he thought to himself as he quickened his pace. His twin followed him. He grunted.

'LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!' he glared murderously.

'Nope…I'm tagging along!' he was smiling broadly. He was really happy to see his brother again. He got even happier thinking about the previous incident. He was happy to know that his brother had cared for him and came to the rescue when he was in danger although it was just a trap to lure him out. He was also happy that his guardian spirit is willing to help him with his plan and is willing to leave him alone with Hao because as far as he knew, the last time when he was in the coffee shop with his brother he just couldn't seem to leave him with Hao alone especially knowing he was a MURDERER and once ABSORBED HIS SOUL…

Suddenly, Hao stumbled on the floor, falling to his knees. His vision was becoming blurry and he was in miserable pain. Yoh saw the incident and he immediately dashed towards him. He looked at his brother worriedly. He held his waist to support him but he held up his hands suddenly when his fingers brushed over something wet. He nearly dropped his brother in the process. Then, he saw his hands stained with blood and there was blood dripping from his brother's waist.

'WE NEED A DOCTOR!' he said to his brother as he looked around to find someone to help him.

Hao stared at him with unfocused eyes. He placed his hand on his forehead. His vision was blurry and he was feeling dizzy. Yoh was desperately trying to rack his brains out when a thought crossed his mind.

'AMIDAMARU!!!' he exclaimed. By the time his guardian spirit appeared, the older shaman was already unconscious in his arms...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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His fingers twitched and his onyx eyes began to open. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before he slowly rose up from the futon. He could still feel the pain running through his body.

'Where am I???' he questioned himself.

He looked around the place and tried to recall what had happened before he lost his consciousness. He remembered seeing his younger brother at the opposite side of the road and ran away from him but ended up getting caught thanks to his stupid ploy. Then, he remembered hearing his younger brother calling his guardian spirit to take him back to his house the moment he was about to lost his consciousness.

'**This must be his room then…but wouldn't his friends get angry knowing that he brought me home???'**

His gaze traveled around the room and he noticed that his gloves and earrings were lying beside the futon. He looked at himself and he realized that the only thing that was covering him were bandages.

'Yoh-sama had already replaced your bandage…You should rest more Hao-sama…' a voice from the window advised him. It was his guardian spirit, Matamune. He was sitting on the windowsill reading his book.

'I'm fine Matamune...' he said to his spirit.

Then, he heard a pair of well-paced footsteps moving up the staircase. He shifted his gaze to the door. The door slid open and there stood his younger brother and his guardian spirit. He was holding a tray in his hands. As soon as he saw his brother awake, he quickly walked towards him.

'Well then, I'll be leaving Hao-sama to you Yoh-sama.' Matamune said before he disappeared from sight.

'I'll be going then Yoh-dono, call me when you need me.' Amidamaru told his master.

'Alright alright…you've been saying that for a million times already…' he pouted.

The spirit then floated up and passed through the ceiling of the room.

There were silence for a moment as the two were left in the room.

'I brought you some food...' he told him as he set down the tray.

'Aren't you worried that your friends might get angry with you?'

'Huh?' he blinked for a moment.

'You brought me back to your house didn't you? And everyone in your place hates me right…'

'Oh…that…well…uh…I didn't really tell them about you….'

'What do you mean you didn't tell them? Aren't they staying over for a few weeks?'

'Well…yes…wait, how do you know?'

He smirked at his younger brother. 'I'm Asakura Hao. I know everything.'

'Oh yeah…' he grinned sheepishly.

'You haven't answered my questions Yoh…'

'They all went out to buy groceries but up till now they haven't returned yet…I wonder what took them so long though…I mean it's already 8--'

'Where's my stuff Yoh?'

'Stuff?' he thought for a moment.

'Oh...that... It's in the washer. Ah! I forgot… You eat first, I'm going to get you a yukata…' he walked towards his wardrobe and pulled out some clothes. Lastly, he pulled out a yukata and then he walked back towards his brother. He was surprised to see that his brother had already finished eating the food he brought. Then, he helped him to replace his bandage again and wear his yukata. Lastly, he poured a liquid from a bottle into a spoon.

'What's this?' he looked disgustedly at the spoon filled with the strange liquid.

'It's your medicine. It'll aid your recovery.' he said as he tried to put the spoon into his brother's mouth.

'No way I am going to taste that slimy liquid. I would rather die than tasting that!' he moved his head away from the spoon.

'Come on…it tastes fine…I always eat it when I got sick…'

'So what…I'm still not going to taste tha--' Hao stopped abruptly when Yoh puts the spoon into his mouth.

'See…It taste just fine…' he smiled at his brother.

He glared at him for a moment but didn't say anything else. He laid on the futon and turned his back on Yoh ignoring him.

'Hao, can I ask you one thing?'

'What?!' Hao replied coldly.

'Would you mind if I call you ONII-CHAN?'

Hao's gaze immediately shifted back to him. He looked at him with an utterly surprised expression.

'Do you mind if I call you that?' he asked him again.

Hao couldn't help but smile at his younger brother surprising him. He never thought that the younger shaman would actually thought of him as a family member. At least, that's what Hao thought.

'Do whatever you want.' was the reply. Yoh's face brightened.

'Then I'll be calling you Onii-chan from today onwards. Ok…ONII-CHAN?'

'Ahh…' he replied. He was pretty delighted.

'Onii-chan, you lay down and rest first. I'll go and wash the dishes and when I come up we'll have a talk alright?' he told his brother.

**['We can still talk from afar you know?] **the person addressed thought to the younger shaman.

**['That's right! Telepathic link! Why didn't I think of it???']**. Hao chuckled lightly at his younger brother surprising him for the second time.

**['If we use that, we'll be able to talk right now without anyone listening to our conversation correct?'] **

**['That's true…but I still prefer to talk later. I want you to rest Onii-chan…'] **he grinned at his brother.

He was a little bit surprised of what his brother had said to him.

**[I see…we'll talk later then…] **he laid back on the futon.

Yoh then lifted the tray and went out of the room. He took a quick glance at his brother before heading out of the room. He headed down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Amidamaru and Matamune followed him. They were talking to each other when Yoh was washing the dishes. He had just finished washing the dishes when he heard the entrance door slid open. Matamune immediately disappeared. He didn't want both him and his master to be found out.

'We're home.' all of them said in unison.

He wiped his hands with a towel and went out of the kitchen with Amidamaru. He knew very well who they were.

'Welcome home…' the two of them greeted with a smile.

'You haven't slept yet?' Anna asked Yoh.

For a moment Yoh was startled. Normally she wouldn't be asking such a question.

'I was washing the dish--'

'Yoh, go to sleep. You'll need it tomorrow...' Anna told him sternly.

'O-O-Ok Anna…' he quickly rushed up the stairs and went back into his room.

After changing his clothes, he slid down the covers of the futon and snuggled into the blanket. He stared at his brother who was now sleeping beside him. He decided not to disturb his brother and they can always talk through telepathic link now that his brother had taught him how to use it.

'Good night, Onii-chan...' he whispered to his brother. Then, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. He could have sworn he heard a 'good night.' replied to him and he smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hao was sitting on the futon while gazing at the stars through the window when he heard the alarm rang. Yoh woke up immediately and closed the alarm in an instant. It was 4.00 a.m. in the morning.

'Ohayo Onii-chan…' Yoh told his brother.

'Ohayo Otouto…'he replied.

Yoh was a little bit surprised at what he heard.

'Did you just call me O-O-Otouto?' he asked.

'You don't like it?' Hao shifted his gaze and stared at his twin.

'Nope…just surprised that's all…' he grinned.

He woke up and went towards the direction of the wardrobe. Then, he pulled out two navy blue jogging pants and two white T-shirt. He handed one of the jogging pants and T-shirt to his brother.

'Here Onii-chan…wear these clothes.'

'Huh? Why?'

'Your clothes are still in the washer and I can't leave you here or Anna and the others will find out that you are here. In other words, you will have to come with me…and also, you are not going to go out wearing that yukata right?'

'Right…'

The two of changed their clothes and tied their hair. Hao didn't wear his gloves and earrings today. He kept it in his younger brother's wardrobe instead. Hao went out of the house through the window since he doesn't want to be seen walking around his younger brother's house. Then, the two of them then headed out of the house. They jogged together as their guardian spirits followed them from behind.

(After approximately 40 to 50 minutes)

'Ahh….I'm tired…' Yoh gasped.

'Ehh…but you've only finished 12 kilometers.'

Yoh gave him a wounded look. His brother didn't even break a sweat. Suddenly, he thought of an idea. He smiled at his brother. Amidamaru and Matamune stared from Yoh to Hao and then back to Yoh. Hao immediately knew what the younger shaman was trying to do. He moved a few step backwards.

'No…not in a million years.' he told him.

'Come on Onii-chan…all you need to do is cut your hair--'

'I said NO and I mean NO!' he frowned at him. No way is he going to cut his hair for such a reason…and to replace him for training is just too…

'Please…you know how much I hate Anna's training…' He gave him a pleading look. The other boy scowled at him.

'Keep that up and I will BURN you, Asakura Yoh…' he glared murderously.

Suddenly, the sound of a wooden sword fell on the floor caught their attention. They shifted their gaze and saw a tall man and a spirit standing beside him staring incredulously at the twins. His face was pale as he stared at the twin with the longer hair. Yoh gulped. There was a long and uncomfortable silence.

'H-H-H-Hao! Y-Y-Y-You're--'

'alive…I know…' he finished his sentence.

'Wait, Ryu…I can explain--'

He immediately held up his wooden sword and said 'Tokagero! Oversou--'

Before he could even finish his sentence, his wooden sword was already cut into half by Matamune. The edge of the sword pierced on the floor.

**['Matamune…do anything you want but don't kill him.'**] Hao thought to his spirit.

'WAIT!' Yoh exclaimed and got everyone's attention. He took a deep breath.

'Ryu, please don't tell anyone about this or else they will try to kill him.' Yoh told the tall man.

'BOSS! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! HE'S A MURDERER!'

'He has changed now. He is no longer a murderer and he no longer hated humans. He hasn't murdered anyone after the tournament between him and Yoh-dono.' Amidamaru's word startled everyone except Matamune. There were dropped jaws and silence. Everyone turned their attention to Hao.

'W-W-W-What are you looking at?' he glared at them before shifting his gaze to Matamune.

'It's that true Onii-chan?' he stared at his brother who was now glaring at his spirit.

'So what if it's true!' Hao said. He didn't bother to look at his twin.

A smile formed on Yoh's face.

**[Matamune, we're going to have a longggg talk when we get back…] **the cat sweat dropped. He received a murderous glare from his master.

'ONII-CHAN!' he hit his brother's shoulder hard.

'OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?' he finally shifted his attention from Matamune to the younger shaman.

'Stop glaring already…' he said childishly. Hao glared at Matamune for one last time before turning back at his brother.

'Fine! What else do you want?' he growled.

'Promise me one thing…' he said.

Hao heaved a sigh. 'Now what do you want?' he rolled his eyes.

'Promise me you won't kill any of my friends or any other humans ok?'

'And why do I have to promise you that?' he asked.

'Because you have to or else Ryu wouldn't believe that you won't kill him and he'll tell everyone about you although you don't kill humans anymore…' Yoh stared at Ryu for a moment before turning back to the older shaman.

'Who said I didn't kill humans anymore?'

'Umm…you???

He gritted his teeth and glared at his spirit again. Finally, he gave in to his brother.

'Alright alright, I promise. Are you happy now?' he asked his younger brother.

'Pinky swear first…'

Hao gave an exasperated sigh.

'Alright…' and then the two of them entwined their pinky fingers.

'You're so naïve Otouto…' he told the younger boy.

Ryu stared incredulously at the long haired shaman. He was flabbergasted at what he had just seen. Asakura Yoh had just force the homicidal Asakura Hao to promise him not to kill humans.

'Am I dreaming Tokagero???' he asked his spirit.

Just then, Hao suddenly appeared beside him and pulled his cheeks.

'Ouch! That hurts!'

'What do you think?' Hao smirked.

Ryu just laughed nervously at the long haired shaman.

'Well then Onii-chan, let's go…' Yoh interrupted his brother.

'Nope…I'm afraid I can't… ' he said.

'Ehhh? Why not?' Yoh asked.

Hao sighed exasperatedly. He had forgotten how clueless his younger brother can be at times like this.

'Because if I were to train with you the others will find out that what the man said was true because he's gone to tell them…' he retorted.

'Huh, gone to tell them? Ryu, you won't tel--Eh, where's Ryu and Tokagero?' Yoh turned to Amidamaru.

'Its fultile, Yoh…that man had no intention of hiding it…' Hao told his brother.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

As soon as he returned home, he went to the garden and saw Anna and the others standing there waiting for him. He saw the discontented faces of every person in the room. Standing at the most behind was Ryu and he was sweating a lot as if he had just returned from a marathon. They were silence and the atmosphere was tense and suffocating. Meanwhile, Hao and Matamune was watching the scene from a tree in case anything happened to his younger brother.

'Yoh, is it true what Ryu said?' Anna asked his fiancée in an unusually cold manner.

Everyone gazed at him. Yoh immediately knew what had happened. Yoh could see very clearly that their displeased with the news and he could see the nervousness in Ryu's expression. Just like Hao had predicted, Ryu had no intention of hiding anything.

'Huh, what are you talking about?' He played dumb instead.

'Don't play dumb with us Yoh...Ryu had already seen him.' Ren said in a calm tone. He was trying his best to refrain himself from attacking his friend.

Ryu just stared at Yoh worriedly. He was beginning to regret telling the others about Hao.

'Then I don't need to say anything…' Yoh said in his usual and carefree tone. Horohoro was losing his patience. He grabbed Yoh's shirt and forcefully pulled him up. The others just kept quiet except Manta.

'Horohoro, what are you doing! He's not Hao!' Manta reminded the Ainu boy.

'WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING, WALKING WITH THAT MAN! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT PYROMANIAC KILLED! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW HE TRIED TO KILL US!!!' he yelled at his friend.

'He has changed. He didn't kill humans anymore…' Yoh replied calmly.

Horohoro got angry when he heard that statement. He threw him hard on the floor.

'KORORO! OVERSOUL!'

'What are you doing Horohoro?' Manta exclaimed.

'BASON! OVERSOUL!' Ren's patience had also come to its limit.

'ANNA! DO SOMETHING!' Manta yelled at the itako but she didn't seem to bother. She just looked at her fiancée that was lying on the floor. She held out her beads and tears fell from her cheek. Just then, Yoh's family member had appeared. Tamao was there as well and she gazed at Yoh warily.

'Yoh, does that mean you are at his side?' Kino asked but he didn't reply.

'Yoh…you mustn't believe him. He will never change. He only wanted you to become the Shaman King…' Mikihisa said.

'Yoh…if you choose to go with that man we will have to KILL you. Please Yoh…don't make us do such a thing.' Yohmei said. Keiko and Tamao just stay quiet.

'Anna…what's going on?' Manta asked. For a moment there was silence.

'Ojiisan had made a divination a few months ago because he wanted to know whether Hao is really dead or not. However, his divination had told him that he was alive…Ever since then, he had been doing divinations everyday trying to find out anything related to that man but to no avail. However, when he made a divination yesterday he had found out something about him…He foresaw that Hao was with Yoh…Yoh had taken care of Asakura Hao…and that can only meant he was at his side… not ours…that was why they're here. To eliminate him…Horohoro and Ren are the only outsiders that know about it…I didn't believe it at first…I didn't believed it until Ryu came and told us he saw him…' she lowered her head sadly. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks.

'Yoh! You have two choices, either you return to our side and fight along with us, or die along with Hao!' Yohmei said.

'No…I'm not leaving him…I'm not going to leave him…not when he actually cared for someone…' Yoh said calmly.

'.....Then you leave us no choice.... Goodbye Yoh…' Yohmei said. He was crying.

They attacked him altogether. (except Ryu, Manta, Keiko, and Tamao)

Hao held out two talismans. They were burned by fire. Two shikigami appeared and dodged everyone's attack.

'How small….'

Hao came out of his hiding place followed by Matamune.

'HAO!!!!' everyone except Yoh exclaimed in unison.

He just stared at Yoh and suddenly, he started laughing.

'Onii-chan…' Yoh stared at his brother warily.

After a brief moment, his laughed ended.

'It's been a long while hasn't it?' he smiled mischievously.

'Asakura Hao! What are you doing here!' the Ainu boy yelled at him.

'None of your concern…BORO BORO…' he glanced impassively at the Ainu boy.

'IT'S HORO HORO NOT BORO BORO!!!'

'Do I look like I care about things like that Boro Boro???' the Ainu boy was about to attack the long haired shaman when Yohmei suddenly interrupted their conversation.

'What do you want Hao?' Yohmei asked.

'Don't worry…I'm not here to fight...' he waved his hand casually.

Then, he shifted his gaze to his younger brother. His eyes narrowed in coldness as he glanced at his brother. Yoh immediately noticed the difference in his brother's eyes. Unlike yesterday, it has no warmth and unexpressive. He had been so different when he had met him for the first time since his supposed death yesterday. He wondered what had caused this.

'You could be so guillible at times Yoh…' Hao said in a mocking tone. Then, he chuckled lightly before continuing. Everyone was startled by his words.

'Did you really think that I would actually change??? Did you really think I would care about someone like you??? Nonsense…I only cared because you are the other half of my soul that's all. To think that you actually believed it…' he began laughing again. Then, he shifted his gaze from the younger boy to Matamune. He gave him a cold glare.

'Matamune, I don't need you anymore… You're no longer useful for me. You can return to the afterlife if you want…it is no longer my concern…' Hao said in an unusually blunt manner. The cat spirit stared incredulously at his master.

The others who were still in their oversoul mode were about to attack him when he suddenly walked towards one of his shikigami. He stopped for a moment and turned to look at the others.

'Well, now that I'm done with my speech, I'll be going--' his sentence was abruptly cut off when Yoh grabbed his arm tightly. Everyone was astonished by his sudden gesture.

'Onii-chan, you're not leaving… I won't let you off that easily. Not until you at least recovered from the injury...' Yoh had a serious expression that Hao himself had never seen before.

He pretended not to bother.

'Hands off Yoh…' Hao stared dryly at his younger brother.

'ASAKURA YOH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! THAT GUY IS ASAKURA HAO!' Horohoro exclaimed.

'GET AWAY FROM THAT MAN YOH!' Yohmei and Mikihisa exclaimed in unison.

Yoh didn't bother.

'Onii-chan!Why are you doing this to yourself? People might not realize it, but I can still see it! You're only doing this because you don't want me to get hurt!'

His words had caused Hao to be dumbfounded.

'Yoh, don't be silly …' Kino said coldly.

Hao managed to gain control of himself from the awestruck. However, he was beginning to get irritated.

'Asakura Yoh…I am advising you to Let. Go. Of. My. Hand. NOW. Before. I. Decided. To. KILL. You…'

'NO!!!' Yoh countered.

'YOH!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!' everyone yelled at him.

Hao gritted his teeth. He was beginning to lose control again. He knew he had to leave now.

'Kouki!' he called out to one of his shikigami.

The shikigami held out his hand to hit Yoh. Mikihisa managed to forcefully pulled Yoh away from Hao just in time. Kouki's hand landed on the ground instead of Yoh. Just then, Hao and his shikigami had disappeared from the place altogether. Yoh stumbled on the ground, falling to his knees, his bangs in front of his face covering his eyes. Then, tears began rolling down his cheeks…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

After the incident, Yoh was always depressed and he hadn't talked to anyone, not even Anna…Everyday he would go for his daily training early in the morning and came home late at night. He didn't bother Anna and the others scolding him when he returned.

The Asakura family had decided to stay there for a few weeks.

Matamune had stayed with them and he always followed Yoh when he went out for training. Of course, Amidamaru followed as well. Anna had sent the ghost that lived in the house to watch over him in case anything happened but they would always lost sight of him while watching over the younger boy. It has been a long while since they last watched over him during training.

Everyone was worried about Yoh. Nobody had ever saw Yoh so upset before. Maybe, they have never seen him upset in the first place. They blamed Hao for still being alive and they now hated him more than anything.

* * *

Today, Yoh managed to escape from the spirit that was watching over him and he went to the city for a leisurely walk with Matamune and Amidamaru. While he was standing at the pavement, he thought of his brother. Ever since that incident happened, he never saw him again.

'**Did you really think that I would actually change??? Did you really think I would care about someone like you??? Nonsense…I only cared because you are the other half of my soul that's all. To think that you actually believed it…' **those words spun around his head as he walked across the street.

In truth, he believed it. He believed that he would change. He believed that he would truly care for him. Right now, he felt like he was being shattered to million pieces.

He thought of the times when he met him for the first time after his supposed death.

He thought of the times when he managed to lure him out from his hiding place.

He thought of the times when he called him 'Otouto' for the first time.

He thought of the times when he made a promise with him.

He doesn't want all this to end. He wanted to see him again…

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. If he didn't care about him, why would he be doing all this?!

* * *

The wind blew against his long strands of hair as he peered down the water from above the bridge. He glanced at his wavering reflection. A small cat suddenly nudged Hao's leg until it gained his attention. His eyes softened as he stared at the kitten. He began scratching behind the cat's ears. A small smile formed on his lips. He heaved a sigh. He held the kitten in his arms and walked away from the bridge.

* * *

SLAM!!!

'Grrr….IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!!!' Horohoro yelled out of the blue. The others were startled by his sudden motion.

'It's useless Horohoro…even if we don't want it to happen, it has already happened and there's nothing we can do about it…' Ren told the Ainu boy.

'That Hao, causing so much pain to my son…he is definitely unforgivable…' Yohmei said angrily.

'I don't get it…why would Yoh care about that man?' Mikihisa said as he rounded his hand into a ball of fist.

'THAT'S RIGHT! WHY DID HE CARE ABOUT THAT JERK!' Horohoro exclaimed.

'Yoh is too kind…' Anna replied nonchalantly.

'BUT WHY MUST WE SUFFER AS WELL! HE HASN'T BEEN TALKING TO US FOR WEEKS! I'M DYING TO HEAR HIM SPEAK!' Horohoro raised his voice.

'You're noisy. Just shut up and drink your tea already...' Ren told the Ainu boy.

'Grrr…why don't you just get lost, SHARK HAIR!'

'WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP BORO BORO!'

'WHY YOU…'

Suddenly, a scream was heard. Manta came out of the toilet and pointed accusingly at the direction of the toilet bowl. Anna heaved a sigh as Horohoro and Ren went towards the direction of the toilet. There were spirits inside the toilet bowl as they slowly rose up and floated towards the direction of the itako.

They bowed their heads with an apologetic look.

'He escaped again didn't he? _Sigh_…I knew this would happen…' Anna said.

* * *

'Matamune…' Yoh called to his brother's ex-spirit who was now staring at him with a goldfish expression. He was surprised but relieved at the same time when he heard him speak again. He was about to talk when Amidamaru interrupted his conversation.

'Yoh-dono, you have finally spoken…' Amidamaru was crying.

'Sorry to worry you Amidamaru, it's just that…' he paused for a moment.

'Yoh-sama, you don't need to explain. We understand that you're still sad about the incident…' Matamune said.

'Matamune, why didn't you pass on to the afterlife? Onii-chan said that you can do whatever you want right?' he asked startling the spirit.

'Well…right now, I wanted to stay with Yoh-sama for a while… ' he responded.

'Matamune, if he really didn't care about me…why did he came out that time?' Yoh asked.

Matamune was taken aback by his second sudden question. He knew what he was referring to but he chose not to tell him.

'I don't know…' he replied simply. Yoh realized his tactics and decided to play along.

'I see…So Matamune, you know where he lives right?'

'Yes…Yoh-sama. Why do you ask?'

For a moment there was silence.

'Can you take me to him???'

Matamune and Amidamaru stared at him with wide eyes.

'Yoh-dono…please…don't go there. We don't know what he might do to you… last time he nearly crushed you with his shikigami…'

'That was last time…anyway, right now I have you with me so I don't think he can do any harm to me this time…and also…' then he gazed at Matamune.

'I have Matamune as well…'

'Yoh-sama…' Matamune said and Yoh grinned.

'Amidamaru, Matamune, will you lend me your strength???' he asked. He was really determined to prove to them that Hao really had changed.

Amidamaru and Matamune stared at him for a moment.

'I understand.' Amidamaru replied seeing his determined expression.

'I will lead the way…Yoh-sama.' Matamune told him.

Yoh smiled at the two spirits. He knew he could always count on them.

'Well then…let's go.'


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

'Ummm….Matamune???'

'Yes, Yoh-sama?'

'Isn't this the place we first met that day when I was attacked by the demon?' Yoh said as he pointed to the direction of his brother's memorial pole that was pretty far away.

'Yes…Yoh-sama. Hao-sama lives in a shrine in the deeper part of this forest.'

'Ehhhh! How come I've never seen him before?'

'Well, Hao-sama hardly leaves the shrine. He only goes out when he got very boring. Also, he doesn't want anyone to know that he is still alive especially Yoh-sa--' he paused as he realized he had told him something that he shouldn't have.

'What? He doesn't want Yoh-dono to know that he is alive. Why?' Amidamaru looked at the cat questioningly. Yoh's suspicions began to grow. He had been suspecting that Matamune was hiding things.

'Well…I don't really know why...' Matamune was getting worried.

'It was Hao right? He told you to keep it a secret right?' Yoh's words scared him out of his wits. He knew he was very intuitive but he didn't expect it to be so accurate.

Not only did Hao hide things, he had hidden many things from the younger shaman. Suddenly, a child's voice surprised the three of them.

'Nekomata-chan!!!' the girl with big eyes hugged Matamune.

'Where have Nekomata-chan been all this while? Opacho was very lonely…' she told the cat. Meanwhile, the cat was struggling for air.

'Hello Opacho… Why are you here?' Yoh asked.

'Opacho was looking for Hao-sama but Opacho can't find Hao-sama…' her eyes become teary.

'Hao wasn't in the shrine?' Yoh asked. The girl shook her head.

'Yoh-sama, have you seen Hao-sama???' Opacho asked. The voice of another person disrupted their conversation before they could continue.

'Well well…look who we'd have here? Asakura Yoh and his two spirits…' he smirked. He was holding a kitten in his hands.

'HAO-SAMA!!!' Opacho walked towards his master.

'Opacho? What are you doing here?' he looked at her questioningly.

'Opacho was looking for Hao-sama. Hao-sama, where have you been?' her big eyes were teary.

'I just went out for a walk. Sorry to worry you Opacho…Ah! There's something I want to show you Opacho…' he smiled as he lay down the kitten that he had been holding. Opacho bent down and patted its head.

'It's cute, Hao-sama…'

'I'm glad you liked it…'

Yoh and Amidamaru who were being ignored watched the whole scene in surprise and confusion. Matamune just stay quiet for he knew what was coming.

'Hao, we need to talk…'

The person addressed stared at Yoh for a moment. He had totally forgotten about him.

'There's nothing for us to be talked about…' he said coldly before glaring at Matamune. He shifted his gaze to Opacho. He smiled at her.

'Let's go Opacho…' the girl nodded and they began walking away from him. The little kitten followed them from behind.

Yoh ran to the front and stopped the two of them. He pointed his sword at Hao.

'Then I will have to take you by force…' Yoh was serious.

Hao smirked. 'Do you really think you can force me, Asakura Yoh? Truthfully, I don't think you would even manage to touch me.'

'Then, if I manage to attack you…you will have to come with me.'

'We'll see about that...Meanwhile, you can join as well if you want Matamune...' he told the cat.

'Amidamaru! Oversoul in Harusame! In Futsu no Mitama no Tsurugi!' and he went into armor oversoul mode.

**(Author's Notes : Before I start I only wanted to say I'm not good at describing a fight! I still hope you readers enjoy it though….)**

He barged to the front and went straight for Hao. Hao dodged it by sharply darting to the left. Then, he appeared out of nowhere and attacked him from behind. Hao evaded it and kicked Yoh. He fell on the floor. He stood up and quickly jumped forward and attack using Shinkuu Butagiri but Hao evaded it just in time and it ended up cutting down the stalk of a huge tree. The tree toppled to the ground with a blow.

Yoh and Hao darted away and both managed to avoid the tree. Yoh immediately attacked his brother. Hao, a little caught off guard defended himself and knocked Yoh away. Yoh's back hit the trunk of the tree. A smile spread across his face.

'You won't be able to dodge that one would you?' he said.

Hao read his mind and immediately turned to his back. It was too late. Matamune hit him with the back of his huge katana and he fell on the floor. Hao flinched and grasped his chest in pain. Yoh stood up and ran towards his brother. He had forgotten about his injury until a while ago.

'Hao, are you alright?' Yoh asked his brother nervously as he kneeled in front of him.

Matamune was staring at his master with concern written all over his face. Hao stared at them impassively.

'I'm fine! Why do you care?' he retorted and glared at his younger brother. Just when he was about to reply, someone called out to his name.

'YOH!' the person was undoubtedly his father Mikihisa.

Hao pushed him away and tries to escape. He ignored the pain that was running through his body. However, it wasn't as easy as he thought.

'What's the hurry? It's not like you at all…Asakura Hao.' Yohmei appeared in front of him.

Everyone else began to appear from different directions. Hao was besieged.

**

* * *

Author's Notes :**

'**Please review and I hope you guys enjoyed reading my (very first) fanfiction…' **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

'I see…it was that damn raccoon again…' Hao sneered.

'W-Wait…how did you guys found me here?' Yoh questioned.

'Tamao saw you walking in the city while she went to buy Ren's milk. She asked that raccoon to follow you.' Hao told the confused boy.

'How did you--' Yoh looked at him questioningly.

'I can read minds remember?' Hao countered before he even finished his sentence.

'Oh yeah…I forgot…'

'Asakura Hao, today will be your last day of living. Prepare to die!' Mikihisa told the long haired shaman.

Everyone went into oversoul mode. They went straight for Hao when Yoh suddenly stopped them.

'STOP!' Yoh shouted. Everyone's attention was then focused on him.

Yoh suddenly went in front of him and spread his arms sideways trying to protect his brother.

'What are you doing Yoh?' Ren asked his friend.

'If you want to kill him, kill me first!' Yoh told them.

'Get out of the way Yoh. This has nothing to do with you.' Yohmei said.

'NO!!! I won't.'

'Are you out of your mind! HE ONCE ABSORBED YOUR SOUL!!!' Horohoro yelled at Yoh.

'He's my brother!'

'I don't need your pity and I don't care about you! Lastly, I'm never your brother! Now get lost Yoh!' Hao responded which was a huge mistake. He shouldn't have said that he was never his brother.

**['You're never my brother?']** Yoh thought to his brother. That was when he realized his mistake. Although he couldn't see his face, he knew what he had just said must have hurt him a lot. He lowered his head and cursed himself silently.

'Enough chatting, it's time to end this.' Yohmei said

Mikihisa pulled Yoh away from Hao and pinned him down. Tamao and Keiko just stay quiet. The others attacked Hao from all directions. Yoh was desperately wringing his head to think of a way to stop them. Suddenly, his gaze focused at Matamune.

'**Forest…demon….street….lake….house….training…That's it!' **Yoh thought.

'HAO!!! IF YOU HAVE NEVER CARED ABOUT ME THEN WHY DID YOU SAVE ME THAT DAY? THEN, WHY DID YOU MAKE THAT PROMISE AND WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BOTHER IF I FELL INTO A LAKE!' Yoh said in a panicking voice. He was really desperate.

Everyone stopped attacking and shifted his gaze towards the younger boy. Asakura Hao had saved him??? Mikihisa released Yoh from his grasp.

'Yoh, what are you talking about?' Yohmei asked.

'Hao saved your life? Are you sure you're not mistaken?' Mikihisa looked at his son questioningly.

'Yoh, I know the incident that happened has been hard on you but that doesn't mean you could distort a fact so randomly.' Ren told his friend.

'Did you hit your head or something? There's no way he would ever save you Yoh. Even if he was your brother he wouldn't save you.' Horohoro said.

Yoh guessed that what he said was bound to cause questions. He took a deep breath.

'No that's not true He really did save me I'm sure of it Matamune and Amidamaru know it as well I did not hit my head and lastly he did not kill humans anymore.' he told everyone all at once. They sweat dropped.

'Can you repeat Yoh? You're too fast…' Mikihisa told his son.

'What I'm trying to say is that he really did save me. I'm sure of it. Matamune and Amidamaru know it as well. I did not hit my head and lastly, He. Did. Not. Kill. Humans. Anymore.'

There were dropped jaws and a long and uncomfortable silence. They were totally taken aback by Yoh's words. Then, they shifted their gaze towards the long haired shaman. They stared at him with goldfish expression.

'What?' he glared at them.

'Are you sure he didn't kill anymore?' Mikihisa asked his son without shifting his gaze from Hao.

'Yup. He was the one who promised me he won't kill. Ryu saw it.' Everyone turned his attention to Ryu immediately.

'W-well…yes, H-H-Hao did promise boss that he w-w-won't kill…' he stuttered.

'Then, why did you say you didn't care about Yoh? You obviously do care about Yoh didn't you?' Ren asked Hao. Their attention went back to Hao.

'Nonsense! Why would I care about him? He has nothing to do with me!'

'But didn't Hao-sama once tell Opacho that Yoh-sama was Hao-sama's otouto?' Opacho said. Her sudden appearance startled everyone. She was hugging a cat in her hands.

'T-T-T-That was last time….' Hao told her.

'But Hao-sama just told Opacho two days ago…' Opacho responded with a questioning look.

He stared at the others. They were smiling mischievously at him. Some of them were trying to control their laughter. He gritted his teeth.

'This is nothing but a waste of time! I'm leaving.' he said as he tried to run but Matamune stopped him.

'Hao-sama, have you forgotten our deal? If Yoh-sama managed to attack you, you will have to go and talk with him. Remember?' he remarked.

'**Why is it so difficult to avoid Yoh!' **he thought to himself. He heaved a sigh and turned to his twin.

'Are you going to stand there all day?' he told him.

Yoh's face brightened. He walked towards his brother and hold onto his hand graciously. The others stared incredulously at the twin.

Keiko smiled as Yoh and Hao began walking away. Mikihisa walked towards Keiko and held her hands. They stood there and watched the scene in relief.

'They're getting along well aren't they…' Keiko murmured softly so that only Mikihisa could hear.

'Ahhh…' was the sole reply.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

'Onii-chan, can't you walk a little faster?' Yoh told his brother.

'Nope.' Hao replied flatly.

'But you're too slow.' Yoh pouted.

'That's because you're too fast.' Hao retorted.

'You're so cold onii-chan…'

'You're so annoying Otouto…' Hao gave him his brusque reply. Yoh gave him a wounded look.

They kept debating with each other as the both of them walked along the road. The others who were following them from behind watched them in amusement. The Asakura members had their conversation.

'That guy really had changed hasn't he?' Yohmei told them. They knew exactly who he was referring to…

'Agree.' Kino replied in her usual manner.

'Children can be really good at heart, if there were given a chance. Ne?' Keiko said.

'I guess you can call Hao that…' Mikihisa replied unsure whether he should think of Hao as a child.

Meanwhile, Matamune was smiling happily whilst staring at his two masters. He thought of what Hao had thought to him that day just before he left Yoh.

**['Matamune…you have better take good care of him when I'm not around or else…'] **his smile broadened at that thought. The master that he had met 1000 years ago has finally returned as his true self after so many years courtesy of Yoh.

'Isn't this great Matamune? Yoh-dono and Hao-dono are getting along so well…' Amidamaru told the cat spirit.

'Yes…' he paused for a moment.

'You know Amidamaru-san… Hao-sama can be very cold in the outside, but he was very warm in the inside…' Matamune said.

Amidamaru smiled before continuing.

'Yes, and I think Yoh-dono must have noticed that or he wouldn't have wanted to talk to him…'

'It's not just Yoh that noticed it…' a sudden voice interrupted. The shifted their gaze towards a Chinese shaman.

'The others are beginning to notice it as well...and I am as well…' Ren told Matamune.

'I see…I'm happy to hear that.' Matamune replied. They turned and stared at the debating twins.

'Onii-chan, why did you leave me that day?' Yoh suddenly questioned his brother.

Hao stopped walking. He stood there rooted on the spot.

'W-W-What are you talking about? He pretended not to know.

'Onii-chan, you know very well what I'm talking about.' He retorted.

Silence follows as the question is left hanging in the air.

'You're not answering my questions Onii-chan.'

Everyone focused their attention on the two boys. Now that they think of it, they also don't understand why Hao did such a thing. Matamune look at his master with a half pleading and half wary look. Hao read his mind and gave him a murderous glare.

**['If you say anything, I'll send you to the depths of hell. Got it?'] **Hao thought to his spirit who was now staring at him nervously.

'Matamune, you know something don't you?' Yoh asked the cat spirit.

Hao blinked. Was he that obvious?

'No. He knew nothing about it and he had nothing to do with it.' Hao told his younger brother.

'Nope, I don't think so...I have a hunch that he KNEW something really important.' Ren countered.

'He did not.' Hao told them even though he knew that it was fultile.

'Oh yes he did.' Anna interrupted the boys. They gazed at Matamune.

'Matamune, tell me what did you know?' Anna gave him a 'you-better-tell-me-or-else-you-will-regret-it' glare.

'W-W-W-Why Anna-sama, I don't know anything…' he told the itako. Her glare was piercing but at the same time, he couldn't disobey his master. Yoh then shifted his gaze towards his brother.

'Onii-chan, you're still not answering my questions…' he told Hao.

'I did it because I feel like doing it.' Hao answered simply.

Yoh and the others stared at Hao incredulously.

'That's it?' Yoh asked his brother.

'Pfft. Of course. Why should I lie? Besides, I'm the f***ing Asakura Hao and I can do anything as long as I feel like doing it.'

There was a long and uncomfortable silence until Horohoro suddenly yelled at the pyro shaman.

'HOW COULD YOU DO SUCH A THING! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SUFFERINGS YOU HAVE CAUSED YOH!' Horohoro yelled at the fire shaman.

Hao blinked for the second time. He had caused Yoh to suffer?

'What do you mean Boroboro?'

'EVER SINCE YOU'RE GONE HE REFUSED TO TALK TO ANYONE! AND I'M NOT BOROBORO, I'M HOROHORO!' Horohoro yelled. He was furious.

'Apart from that, he's been skipping his training!' Ren said while Anna glared at Yoh.

'And he hadn't been eating properly for the past few days…' Mikihisa wasn't happy as well.

'And he'd non-stop staring into space…' Yohmei added.

'And the worst part, he was always depressed…'

There was another silence…

Yoh could have sworn he saw his brother's guilty expression before he lowered his head.

Hao pursed his lips and his bangs were covering his eyes. Pangs of guilt sank in as he contemplated what they had just said. He always thought that without him in his younger brother's life, his life would be much better. He thought that it was best for him to leave and stay away from him. He thought he would lead a much more happy life without him but it was totally the other way round. He had caused him to suffer instead. He was a failure as a brother.

Matamune couldn't take it anymore. Even though he couldn't see his master's face clearly, he could imagine how guilty he was. In addition, it won't cause him much if he were to be sent to the depths of hell. It's not as if it was the first time he sent him there anyway. He remembered that he once sent him to the depths of hell for a week after he had summoned him because he had kept on asking him to go and meet Yoh. Ever since that incident, he hardly ever talked about anything related to Yoh until a few days ago...

'It wasn't entirely Hao-sama's fault. He only wanted you to life a better life that's all, Yoh-sama…' Matamune told the younger boy.

Everyone turn to the cat spirit. They were dumbstruck by his words. His sudden input that provided the truth of Hao's action caused the others to then turn their attention towards the long haired shaman. They had a lot of questions in their mind. Meanwhile, the very person in the center of the dispute stared incredulously at his spirit who had once again spilled the beans. He was surprised yet furious at the same time...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

* * *

After having their conversation in Funbari Onsen, Hao was about to leave when an all-too-familiar voice called out for him.

'Onii-chan, where are you going?' Yoh asked his older brother.

'Where else would I be going other than the shrine?' Hao replied and gave him a what-an-absurd-question look.

'Oh, I'll go with you then…' Yoh grinned sheepishly at his brother.

Hao released an annoyed grunt. He turned and walked away from him.

'Hao, please wait…' Mikihisa called out to the fire shaman who sighed exasperatedly.

'What do you want Mikihisa?' Hao asked without turning to look at him.

'Would you like to come to Izumo the day after tomorrow?' he asked.

'Mind to tell me exactly why should I go there?' Hao asked blandly.

'Well, we're going to celebrate Yoh's birthday at Izumo tomorrow and also-'his sentence is immediately cut off by Yoh.

'What! My birthday is the day after tomorrow?' Yoh looked utterly surprised.

'Well, that's mainly why we went to buy groceries with Anna that day…' Ren told him as he came out of the inn.

'Now that I think of it…' Yoh said thoughtfully.

'No thanks. I don't have the time.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'Eh! But Onii-chan-' Yoh's sentence was cut off abruptly.

'You should go, Hao-sama…' Matamune told his master. Hao shifted his gaze to Matamune and glared at him.

'Do. You. Want. To. Go. To. HELL…' Hao stretched the word 'Hell' and effectively shut him up.

'Onii-chan, have you forgotten our promise?' Yoh said to his brother as he gave him a warning look.

Hao glared at his spirit for a second time. It was thanks to Yoh that Matamune was still standing here with him. Yoh had pleaded his brother to let him off the hook because if he had not told the truth Yoh would have never knew the true motive of his brother's actions. Even when they were having a private conversation he would still plead for Matamune's case which was very infuriating to Hao. If he wasn't caught off-guard all of this wouldn't have happened but a part of him was still glad it had happened. As the conversation continued from time to time, Yoh would stop for a moment and began to plead again on Matamune's behalf. Finally, Hao gave in to his little brother. He wasn't sure as to why he did it but since he had promised his younger brother he wasn't going to break his promise. He heaved a sigh.

'Alright alright…I won't send him to hell, happy?' Hao told the younger boy.

A smile curved his lips when he heard his brother's word. Hao simply rolled his eyes. His little brother was really naïve.

'Now if you'll excuse me…' Hao said and immediately walked away.

'Wait! Onii-chan! ' Yoh called out to him but he ignored him and walk at a faster pace. He quickly ran up to him. Mikihisa stared at them as the two of them begin to disappear from view.

'Hao and Yoh being together as brothers…I never thought that I would be seeing something like that right now.' Ren told Mikihisa.

'Neither have I thought that something like that would happen…' Mikihisa replied.

Both of them watched the twins in silent.

'Lyserg and Chocolove had already headed to Izumo…' Anna's cold voice penetrated through the silence. Ren and Mikihisa startled for a moment and turned to the direction of the voice only to see Anna and the other Asakura members standing at the door.

'Well, I guess it's time for us to return then…' Mikihisa said.

'Will he be there as well?' Keiko asked his husband. Mikihisa knew who she was referring to and he shook his head.

'Probably won't. He refused almost immediately after I voice them out.' Mikihisa told them.

'I see…' Keiko was a little bit disappointed. Although Hao was a murderer, he was still his son and ever since Hao was born, Keiko had never took care of him as he had left the house as soon as he was born.

'Don't worry, he'll come. I'm very sure of it.' Ren smirked. Ren's interruptions had Keiko snapped out of her thoughts. The others stared at him questioningly.

'And how do you know?' Mikihisa asked.

'Just wait and see. You'll get what I mean soon enough.' He said as he smirked to himself.

'We should get going by now.' Kino told them. With that, they headed out of Funbari Onsen. Anna and Ren stood at the same spot for a moment before heading back into the inn. They went to the living room where Horohoro and Ryu stood there waiting for them.

'So, how did it go?' Anna asked.

'Perfect.' Horohoro told the Itako.

'Good. Ryu, have you prepared the things?' Anna's gaze traveled from Horohoro to Ryu.

'Yes. Everything is ready, Okami.' Ryu told her.

'So now all we need to do is wait for Yoh to return and then we can leave for Izumo tonight.' The ice queen said in her usual icy tone.

'This is going to be interesting…' Ren said.

* * *

'Onii-chan! Wait!' Yoh called out for his brother.

'Leave me alone already!' his brother yelled as his younger brother stop in front in front of him.

'Onii-chan, why won't you come to Izumo?' he asked his brother.

'Because I don't want to come.' Hao replied flatly.

'But Onii-chan-'

'I said NO and I mean NO! If you keep making noise, I will BURN you!' Hao said sternly.

Yoh became silent. Hao sighed. He continued walking down the trail of the forest silently with his brother who had finally quieted down. After a while the two of them arrived at the entrance of the shrine and saw a tall man. From the looks of it he was probably waiting for someone. As soon as he saw Hao he immediately walked towards them.

'Hao-sama, where have you been? You got us all worried-' the tall man's voice trailed off when he saw Yoh.

'Hello, Luchist.' Yoh waved cheerily at him.

'Hello, Yoh-sama. By the way, why are you with Hao-sama in the first place?' he asked.

'He wanted to tag along although I can't really see the benefit of doing it other than annoying me.' Hao replied nonchalantly. Yoh gave him a wounded look.

'Onii-chan, that's not very nice…' Yoh told him in a childish tone.

'That's good then. It means you'll leave sooner. The sooner you leave the better.' Hao told his younger brother. Yoh gave him another wounded look. Luchist who were listening to their conversation smiled at the twins.

'So, does that mean you were going to Izumo, Hao-sama?' Luchist asked. Hao was surprised but he managed to regain composure almost immediately. He looked at the tall man sternly. He was about to asked him how did he know but he didn't get the chance. Yoh had beaten him to it.

'Luchist, how did you know about it?' Yoh asked.

'Well, he told me about it …' Luchist answered.

'I thought so since he was the only one who can do that…'

'What are you talking about? Who is he?' Yoh stared at his brother questioningly.

'It's me…' a man's voice interrupted. He has a different accent but Yoh find it very familiar in a way...

Yoh shifted his gaze from his brother and for a moment he froze when he saw a tall man walking towards him. He was holding a tobacco pipe in his hand.

'Lyserg! What are you doing here! Aren't you supposed to be in England!' he paused for a moment. Is it just him or is it that Lyserg is a bit too tall since the last time he saw him? He realized that there is some slight difference in the man's appearance compared to Lyserg's. Then, a realization hit upon him.

'You're not Lyserg. You're-'

'-Lyserg's father, Liam Diethel.' Hao finished.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

* * *

His eyelids fluttered and he blinked a few times until his vision become clear. He winced slightly as the sunlight shone directly at his face and blinded him. The cloth placed over his forehead fell as he turned his head away.

'**Wait, a cloth?'** He blinked another time.

He then woke up and looked around the room. For a moment he was still. After that, he rubbed his eyes to completely wipe away the sleepiness from the bleary chocolate orbs and look around the room for the second time. It was the same as it was before. He was confused. This wasn't his room but he knew this place. After all, it was the place where he had left when he was born.

'You're finally awake huh?' Mikihisa's voice penetrated through the silence causing Hao to jump but he managed to hide it from the man. His masked head was poked in from the sliding door.

'Uh…wh-'

'Yoh brought you home yesterday…'

Suddenly, memories of yesterday made itself into his mind. He grimaced at the memory. He had fainted in front of his younger brother. He had fainted in front of his younger brother which is definitely something totally out of character of him. Way out of character…but there was one thing that he find very disturbing in his mind. Why had he fainted in the first place? Why couldn't he remember anything that had happened to him other than he fainted? He mused thoughtfully.

'Yoh's clothes are arranged inside the wardrobe, so if there's anything else you need you can go and ask Yoh. He is at the garden with the others.' Mikihisa said and snapped him back to reality. Before he could say anything further, Mikihisa had already left.

He stood from his futon and was about to head to his younger brother's wardrobe when dizziness come over his head. He clutched his head. His vision was blurry. He shook his head a little and it began to ease itself slowly and his vision became clear again. He walked towards the wardrobe and opened it. He winced slightly.

'**Isn't there anything other than these…' **his gaze traveled around the wardrobe filled with clothes. There were a few sets of clothes and pants which he wore everyday and a few white T-shirt and navy blue jogging pants which he probably wore it for training. Finally, a pink tracksuit with a star on it caught his attention. He took the shirt and placed it beside the futon. Then, he went out of the room and headed to the toilet. As soon as he had cleaned himself, he went back to his room. After changing his clothes and tying his hair in a ponytail position, he headed towards the garden. He wanted to ask Yoh what had happened yesterday…

'Yoh! Faster or I'll add another 50 push-ups!' Anna's cold voice is heard as Hao made his way to the garden. He heard a few familiar voices as well…(other than Yoh, Anna, Ren, Horohoro, and Amidamaru)

* * *

In the garden…

'Yoh! Faster or I'll add another 50 push-ups!'

'Awww….Anna…'

'Yoh, Finish it up will you! You still haven't fought with me yet!' Ren exclaimed.

'Ren…you shouldn't be so impatient…just relax…' Jun told the other Tao.

'Pilica, I'm tired! Give me a break!' the Ainu boy yelled in frustration.

'No, you need to train!' Pilica replied.

'I pity Yoh and Horohoro…' Manta told Amidamaru.

'Isn't it Yoh's birthday? Why does he need to train?' Silva asked. Karim was standing beside him.

'Silva, when did you get here?' Yoh stared at him.

'Yoh! Concentrate or I'll add 100 push-ups!'

'No!' Yoh immediately continued with his push-ups.

'Yoh, faster!' Anna told the boy.

'Onii-chan, faster!' Pilica told the Ainu boy. He was doing push-ups as well.

'Yoh, if that person finishes his training faster, I'm doubling your training understand!'

'Onii-chan, if Yoh finishes his training faster, I'm tripling your training!'

'Yoh, make it quick will you! I'm losing my patience!' Ren was fuming. Streams of tears were running down the face of both victim of hell training.

Jun sighed while the others watch the two in pity except for Ren who was fuming.

'What's all the fuss?' Hao asked.

Everyone's attention shifted to the older twin standing in front of them. Silva, Karim,Jun, and Pilica's eyes widened. Yoh and Horohoro collapsed in exhaustion but they also focused their gaze at the pyro shaman. For a moment there was silence.

'Hao!' Pilica and Jun suddenly exclaimed in horror.

Silva and Karim went into oversoul mode and stood in defensive position.

'What are you doing here Hao?' Silva asked coldly.

'I don't think I can answer that question Silva.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'What are you talking about?' Karim asked.

'Simple. Because that's my question…' he shifted his gaze to his younger brother.

'Yoh, what happened yesterday and why am I here?' he glared at his twin expectantly. His arms were crossing over his chest and he tapped his foot impatiently. Yoh sat up and stared at his brother. He ignored his glare and smiled at him.

'Good morning Onii-chan.'

'That's not my question and good morning Otouto.'

'Onii-chan, have you taken your medicine?'

Hao blinked. **'Medicine?'**

'Just as I thought…' Yoh sighed. Hao was getting confused by his words. Yoh stood up and dusted off the dirt in his pants.

'Onii-chan, let's go.' Yoh said as he pushed his twin inside the house.

'Huh? Where are you taking m-'

'You need to take medicine or your wounds won't recover. Now be good and go take your medicine. I'll be going with you just in case…' Yoh grinned at his brother as he pushed him into the sliding door that connected the garden and the house. Hao glared murderously at him but it didn't seem to affect the younger boy. He closed the door behind him and left the garden with his other twin. Silva and Karim stared at the door in which the two boys had walked in with surprise. Pilica was frozen on the spot, speechless. Jun was amused.

'Onii-chan, did you see what I just see?' Pilica asked.

'Yeah…' Horohoro replied. He was still gasping for air. He had already begun training in the wee hours of the morning with Yoh which was very tiring for the two of them had run 50 laps around the huge Asakura residence. Then, both Anna and Pilica would increase it from time to time as if they were aiming for the 'torturing people the most in one day' record. As soon as Anna increase two times Yoh's running, Pilica would increase three times, then Anna would increase four times and then it has been going on until Yoh asked Anna 'What about the push-ups?' and that's why the two of them was doing the push-up in the first place. Ren who was training himself became bored and wouldn't stop challenging Yoh which somehow made him glad for some reason.

'So what, he'd stolen my training partner away.' Ren said in his usual manner.

'Training?' Pilica muttered to herself. Had she forgotten something?

'Onii-chan! You're supposed to continue doing your push-up!' she yelled at Horohoro.

'Give me a break Pilica! I'm dying!'

'Horohoro is right. It's about time you guys take a break.' Anna's cold voice interrupted.

The Ainu siblings and the others stared at the itako. Horohoro was very happy hearing her words. Little did he know the truth behind her action…

'We need a few cleaners to help Tamao to clean the whole house. Yoh's grandparents won't be able to help so you guys are gonna help. Got it?' Anna told them. Horohoro's face fell. He thought he was finally able to get some rest but apparently he had totally mistaken.

'I knew it…' Manta muttered to himself.

'Horohoro and Ren, you two are in charge of the cleanliness of every single room. Jun, you will help Ryu in the kitchen. Manta, you are in charge of the corridor. Pilica, you're gonna help me and Tamao do the decorations in the living hall. If there is anything wrong, the spirits from Funbari Onsen will report to me and you'll have me to answer to. Understand?'

'Damn it, why am I supposed to help!' Ren told the ice queen.

'and how are we supposed to make sure that every room is clean in this MASSIVE house! We can't even find the bathroom!' Horohoro protested further.

* * *

'Grr…how did Yoh actually cope up with that violen-' Horohoro was smacked in the head before he finished his sentence.

'Watch your mouth you idiot. We're being spied remember?' Ren told his friend as they walked past the corridor.

'Sighed…why is it that we always got slapped by her?' Horohoro said. The two boys unconsciously took their hands and placed them on their cheek.

'Well at least Silva and Karim is kind hearted enough to help us do the cleaning…' Ren responded.

-Flashback-

'Damn it, why am I supposed to help!' Ren told the ice queen.

'and how are we supposed to make sure that every room is clean in this MASSIVE house! We can't even find the bathroom!' Horohoro protested further.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

'Y-Y-Yes…' Ren and Horohoro told Anna. Their cheeks were red. The others remained silent.

'Anyone wants to object further? I don't mind giving another slap...' she told the others.

Silence…

'No? Good. We must make sure we give our guest the best impression. And of course, I have to depend on you in many things Manta.' Anna turned to the boy. Manta sweat dropped.

'I want more advertisements and banners of Funbari Onsen and I want the Hanagumi's here before tomorrow.' the Itako said sternly.

The others stared at Manta sympathetically.

'I will defeat the economic crisis! Our battle has just begun!' Anna said as she grasped her beads.

'I knew it…' Manta thought to himself.

'Very clever…' Tamao whispered silently. Anna turned to the pink haired girl that was standing at the sliding door.

'Is there anything Tamao?' She asked her.

'U-U-Umm, Lyserg-san h-has j-j-just a-a-arrived.' Tamao stuttered. She covered her face with her kokkuri board as she blushed.

'Oh, is that so? Just in the right time, I'm thinking of finding someone to-' Anna's sentence was abruptly cut off by a loud bang that sounded from the kitchen. Everyone was startled and they quickly headed to the kitchen.

Anna stopped abruptly and turned to the others.

'You guys get to work. I'll handle this ALONE...' she emphasize on the word 'alone'.

They feared for the girl and so they began to walk in different directions other than the previous ones. As Ren and Horohoro walked away, Sliva stopped them and offered to help them.

-End of flashback-

'Chocolove was so lucky to have arrived late.' Horohoro told Ren as he opened the sliding doors of one room and the two of them went inside.

He turned to his friend when he didn't reply.

'Oi...Earth to Tao Ren...' Horohoro said and managed to snap him back to reality.

'Did you hear something just now?' Ren asked.

'Nope. What's wrong?'

'I thought I heard a few slaps.' Ren said and the two unconsciously took their hands and placed them on their cheek.

'DON'T REMIND ME OF HER!' Horohoro yelled.

* * *

In the kitchen…

'Hell no.' Hao replied blandly.

'Oh come on Onii-chan, we've done this before, the one you ate last time was also green remember?' Yoh held the spoon with a green liquid and try to put it into his mouth.

'The one you last gave me was not GREEN Otouto, its BLUE and not as gross as this one…' he told the younger boy as he and turned his head away from the spoon filled with the green liquid.

'Oh really, you still need to take your medicine though...'

'Don't wanna.' the older boy clamped his mouth.

'That's not gonna work on me. But since you hate medicine that badly…' Yoh trailed off as he slowly placed down the spoon that he was holding on the table. Hao stared at his twin with a questioning look. Then, his eyes widened. He tried to run but it was too late. Yoh abruptly got up from his seat and pinned him on the floor and sat on top of him. He held up the bottle filled with more green liquid and opened it with a 'pop' sound. Then, he clamped Hao's nose shut with his thumb and forefinger. The two stared each other down for a long while before Hao was forced to open his mouth for air. Yoh immediately stuffed the bottle of medicine into his mouth. He held his brother's head in place in case he tried to jerk away.

'Now you won't need to take the medicine anymore.' Yoh said as he stood up.

'WHY YOU LITTLE-' Hao's sentence was interrupted by a thud sound.

The twin shifted their gaze at a British boy whose luggage had dropped on the floor. He was staring at the long haired shaman with wide eyes. Silence.

'Hao!' the green haired boy exclaimed.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

'Finally…' Lyserg said as he stood at the entrance of the Asakura residence.

He knocked the door and then footsteps were heard approaching the door. The door opened and a girl with pink hair bowed at him.

'W-W-Welcome…' the girl stuttered and she blushed furiously at him.

'Hello, Tamao-san. Where are the others?' he asked.

'I-I-In the garden, w-w-would you like to see them?' she asked the green haired boy.

'No need, I'll greet them later. Besides, Anna is probably training with him so I better not interrupt.' At the mention of her name, chills ran down his spine.

'T-T-The journey m-m-must have been long, w-would you like to go t-t-to your room?' she stuttered.

'Well, okay. Just tell me how to get there before you go and inform others about my arrival.' He told her and she blushed.

After being given the information, he had walked pass the corridor and finally arrived at his destination. He stood there for a moment when he heard voices from inside the room. At first he thought he had misheard one of the voices as_ 'his'_ but after a while, he froze when he heard sounds of something fallen. He regained his composure after a moment and slid open the door. He froze at what he saw. Yoh was straddling on Hao with a small bottle on his hands. Then, he slowly removed himself from him.

'Now you won't need to take the medicine anymore.' Yoh said as he stood up.

'WHY YOU LITTLE-'

Lyserg dropped his luggage on the floor with a thud sound thus prevented him from finishing his sentence and attracting the attention of the twins.

'HAO!' he exclaimed. There was silence. Yoh gulped nervously.

'Hello, Lyserg.' Hao said in a menacing tone and waved casually before coughing. He really hated medicine now.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!' the English boy exclaimed.

'Lyserg, I can explain…' Yoh told the green haired boy but it was too late. He attacked his brother with his oversoul but Hao barely managed to dodge causing a cut in his shoulder and the attack hit the wall with a loud bang. A portion of the wall toppled on the floor.

'You know, she isn't going to be happy with that hole inside the kitchen.' Hao told his little brother as he pointed at the hole with his finger. Yoh knew immediately who he is referring to and panicked at the thought of her deadly slap. He had to stop this fight immediately.

'Lyserg, please stop!' Yoh told his friend.

'NO!'

'But I 'm not ready to die!' Yoh said pleadingly.

'Huh?' Lyserg looked at him questioningly.

'He meant he wasn't ready to die by Anna's deadly slap.' Hao responded and Yoh nodded immediately.

'Oh…right.' Lyserg said and Yoh sighed relieved.

Suddenly, he attacked Hao and sent him crashing on the door connected to the backyard.

'THEN I'LL FIGHT YOU HERE!' Lyserg said and he began launching attacks on Hao. However, all Hao did was dodge his attacks. Yoh looked at them concerned but at the same time he was relieved that his brother did not attack his friend. However, Hao was getting tired and he was beginning to have difficulties in dodging the dowser's attack. After a while, Lyserg managed to penetrate through his weakened defense and gave him a few cuts. Finally, the pendulum managed to cut his leg and therefore causing him to stumble on the floor.

'Onii-chan!' Yoh called out to his brother.

Lyserg was about to give him the final blow when someone launched an attack on him out of nowhere and cut off the wires connected to the pendulum.

'Lyserg, stop this right now.' A voice demanded.

Lyserg gasped at the two figures that he saw. The crystal pendulum that he was holding fell on the floor. There was a long and uncomfortable silence. Lyserg remained silent and stared at them with complete and utter surprise. Then, tears began rolling down his cheek.

'Mom…dad…'

'We missed you Lyserg…' her mother told him as she embraced him in her arms. His father placed his hands in his wife's shoulder before turning to his son.

'Lyserg, you have grown stronger. I'm very proud of you.' he said. They remained in that position until Hao began coughing loudly. They turned their attention on the long haired shaman that was sitting on the floor with a few cuts on his body.

'Are you going to stand like that forever?' Hao replied. Yoh who was watching the scene was snapped back to reality and immediately rushed towards his older brother. He realized that the bandage on his wounds had stains of blood on it.

'Onii-chan, you're bleeding! '

'No, I'm fine.' Hao retorted.

Lyserg released himself from the embrace and he went towards the two boys. His parents followed.

'What is going on!' Anna's cold voice rang through the yard.

* * *

'The cut on his leg and his shoulders is a little deep so it needs a little while for it to heal.' Faust told the twins as he replaced the bandage on his wounds.

'I'm fine Yoh. Don't give me that look.' Hao told his younger brother.

'No, you're not fine.' Yoh countered.

'Yes, I am.' The older boy replied.

'Oh, come on Onii-chan. There is no need to be so stubborn. We're brothers after all.'

'I'm not stubborn.' Hao told the younger boy.

'Yes you are.' Yoh retorted.

'No I'm not.' Hao shot back.

Yoh sighed. He can't really blame him. He had always been like that thanks to his superiority complex. Faust simply watched the scene with amusement. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

'Come in.' the twins said in unison.

Lyserg went into the room with his parents behind him. Hao glanced at him impassively. He approached Hao and turn to his parents. The two of them nodded and he sighed exasperated.

'I'm sorry I attacked you at the kitchen. Will you forgive me?'

Hao raised an eyebrow. He turned away feeling awkward.

'Don't need to apologize to me. I once killed your parents after all so now, we're just even.' Hao replied nonchalantly. Lyserg stared at him surprised for a moment. Then, he smiled as he stared at Hao for a long moment.

'What?' Hao asked the English boy somehow annoyed.

'Nothing in particular.' He said and his smile widened.

**[You really have changed that's all. It's sort of hard to believe.]** Lyserg purposely thought in his mind and Hao scowled at him. Yoh just stared at the two of them with a confused expression.

'You both seemed to get along pretty well.' Yoh said.

'No we did not.' Hao replied almost immediately.

'Yes you did.' Yoh responded.

'No we did not.' Hao countered and glared at his twin. Lyserg and his parents chuckled at their behavior. Faust was oblivious to the happenings around him as he was staring at his Eliza the whole time.

'Well then, we'll be going. You both can continue to enjoy your little yes and no argument.' Lyserg said and chuckled again. Faust and Eliza also stood up preparing to leave them.

Lyserg's parents went out of the room after Faust and Eliza. Lyserg followed them but he suddenly stopped midway and turned to the twins.

'By the way, happy birthday Asakura twins.' Lyserg said and went out of the room.

'Oh no, I totally forgot!' Yoh suddenly panicked.

'I see nothing wrong with that.' Hao replied blandly.

'But I'm not the first one to wish you…' Yoh said disappointed.

Hao raised an eyebrow. 'Me neither.' He replied Yoh blinked and then he chuckled at his behaviour.

'Onii-chan?'

'What is it Otouto?'

'Ummm…do you still wish to…create the shaman kingdom and ummm…'

[Annihilate all humans?] Hao thought to his younger brother.

'Yes…' Yoh replied. Hao stared at him with an unreadable expression.

'Do you really want to know it so badly?' Yoh nodded. Hao sighed and Yoh began to fear that he had asked the wrong question. There was a long silence as the question was left hanging in the air.

'No. The answer is no.' Hao finally answered.

'Huh?' Yoh was so surprised that he thought he misheard.

'I don't repeat things twice Yoh.' Hao told his brother.

Yoh was so happy and astonished at the same time. He gave his older brother a hug.

'Ouch.'

'Opps. Sorry…' Yoh scratched his head.

Meanwhile, Lyserg was leaning against the wall near sliding door listening to their conversation. A smile creased his lips as he walked away from the place.

'Is this really the great Asakura Hao that I once known?' Lyserg chuckled as he left.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

* * *

'God, this place is huge. We'll never finish this…' Horohoro told Ren.

'Shut up or we'll never finish this.' Ren told the Ainu boy as they went into another room.

They slid open the door and froze when they saw Lyserg, Yoh, and Hao together cleaning the place. There were bandages covering Hao's shoulders and legs. Judging by its surroundings and a hole on the wall a fight had taken place. Ren was about to ask what had happened but someone beat him to it.

'Woah, what happened in here?' Horohoro asked.

'Lyserg and Hao had a fight.' Yoh said as he turned to face them. They noticed there were red marks on his cheeks indicating that he had been slapped by the Itako.

'Yoh! What happened to your face?!' Horohoro exclaimed and suddenly everyone stared at him with a you-are-so-doomed look. He turned to Ren and realized that he was a few meters away from him. He began to sweat.

'She's right behind me right?' he said nervously and everyone nodded to his demise.

'Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack!'

* * *

'I wonder if i-i-it's alright to have A-A-Anna-sama handling t-things on her own?' Tamao said warily as she handed one of the decorations to Pilica.

'She'll be fine. She's strong enough to handle the boys. You've seen it as well right?' Pilica said and Tamao immediately understand what she was referring to.

'I just hope they are fine. I mean you heard those slaps right?' Pilica said and Tamao nodded.

'They're fine. I'm not as ruthless as Hao.' Anna's voice startled the two girls.

'A-A-Anna-sama…' Tamao called the girls name.

'Well, let's finish this before the other guest arrived. We don't have much time.' Pilica said and they continued working on the decorations.

* * *

'He's so different from the last time. Somehow, I find it difficult to believe.' Silva said and the Asakura's (all members of the Asakura are there except for Yoh and Hao) nodded in agreement.

'Me neither. He was so ruthless in the past.' Mikihisa said.

'But I still can't trust him! Even if he had changed he was still Hao! He was only pretending to be nice! If it wasn't for Yoh, I would have never wanted him here again! Ever!' Yohmei hissed in frustration.

'Not even when he had changed?' Kino asked.

Yohmei paused briefly before answering hesitantly 'No.'

Silva noticed that Keiko was affected by his father's words. He wasn't sure as to whether Mikihisa was having the same reaction as he was wearing a mask. Despite what Yohmei had said does makes sense, he could see that Keiko did not think that way. In truth, even he himself had not thought that way. Not after seeing how much he had changed…

'But I believed in him father.' Keiko told Yohmei and everyone shifted their attention on her.

'Keiko, do you understand what you're saying?' Yohmei said in a cold voice.

'Of course I do. If Yoh can accept him as an older brother, then I as well can accept him as my son. Just like Yoh…'

'No, I cannot accept him! I will never accept him! He was a disgrace to our family! He shouldn't be living in the first place!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'It's true that he had changed but that does not mean his past can be forgotten so simply.' Kino said.

'That's right. We can't simply accept him just because he had changed because no matter what, he was still Asakura Hao and that fact will never change even in a million years. He still has to be destroyed.' Yohmei said.

Mikihisa remained silent.

'But then, what about Yoh?' Silva asked.

'He should be able to understand. It's for his own good.' Yohmei said.

'Can you really be sure that he would understand your intention?' Mikihisa interrupted after being silent for a long time.

'Of course he would! Why not?' Yohmei said in a cold manner.

'Have you forgotten what happened to Yoh when Hao left him?' Mikihisa replied.

'That's why we must destroy him! He would have lived a much happier life without him!'

* * *

Horohoro's faced was so red and swollen as Yoh began to apply some medicine on his face to help with the pain.

'Ouch! That hurts!' Horohoro said and jerked his head away from the cotton ball filled with medicine.

'Bear with it if you want it to recover.' Hao said blandly as he fixed the door that he had crashed onto while fighting with Lyserg.

'You shouldn't have said that in the first place Horohoro.' Lyserg said as he tried to fix the hole on the wall.

'How am I supposed to know that she's right behind me!' he yelled and hissed in pain.

'Well, if you're more alerted then you will know Boroboro.' Ren emphasized on his name.

'Shut up, shark head.'

'It's no use arguing over this. Yoh, quickly finish with him and help us fix this mess. They themselves have their own work to finish.' Hao told them.

'US???' Lyserg and Yoh said in unison. The pyro shaman simply turned away feeling awkward. It had been happening very frequently when he was at the Asakura residence.

'The great Asakura Hao actually used the word 'us'?' Lyserg said in a teasing tone. Ren and Horohoro smirked.

'I wonder if the world is going to end soon?' Horohoro added.

'Or maybe it's just a mere dream?' Ren said and the three of them try to refrain themselves from laughing out loud.

'Come on you guy's, stop teasing Onii-chan already.' Yoh said.

'I'm done fixing the door.' Hao said and immediately left the room.

'Wait, Onii-chan!' Yoh went after him but he was gone.

Horohoro and Lyserg began laughing. Ren simply smirked.

'Did you guys see that! He was blushing!' Horohoro said.

'and I thought he was no fun at all…' Lyserg added and they started laughing again.

'That's not very nice you know, though I have to admit…' his voice trailed off.

'Onii-chan looks kind of cute when he's blushing…' he whispered and all of them laughed.

* * *

'Damn it.' Hao hissed in frustration as he fixed his gaze on the floor. He had immediately teleported himself as soon as he went out of the room in case Yoh went after him. He sighed and continued walking until he arrived at an entrance to a room. He heard a few voices from inside the room. Suddenly, he heard his grandfather's voice.

'No, I cannot accept him! I will never accept him! He was a disgrace to our family!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'It's true that he had changed but that does not mean his past can be forgotten so simply.' Kino said.

'That's right. We can't simply accept him just because he had changed because no matter what, he was still Asakura Hao and that fact will never change even in a million years. He still has to be destroyed' Yohmei said.

'But then, what about Yoh?' Silva asked.

'He should be able to understand. It's for his own good.' Yohmei said.

'Can you really be sure that he would understand your intention?' Mikihisa interrupted after being silent for a long time.

'Of course he would! Why not?' Yohmei said in a cold manner.

'Have you forgotten what happened to Yoh when Hao left him?' Mikihisa replied.

'That's why we must destroy him! He would have lived a much happier life without him!'

After hearing the older Asakura's words he silently walked away and teleported to another place.

* * *

'Finally, is done.' Pilica said satisfied with her work.

'I-I-It's beautiful A-A-Anna-sama.' Tamao stuttered.

'Alright, now that we are done with the hall--' the Itako's words were abruptly cut off by the rang of the doorbell.

'I'll get it.' Pilica said cheerfully.

She opened the door and saw Chocolove.

'Chocolove, long time no see. How are you?' Pilica asked.

'Hi Pilica, long time no see. Want to hear one of my new joke--' his sentence was cut off when Anna suddenly shot him a death glare. He swallowed nervously. Pilica also noticed her death glare.

'Well, maybe later. Now's not the time…' she said and Chocolove understand what she had meant.

'Alright, why don't you go to your room first. Tamao will show you the way.' She turned to Tamao who nodded.

'T-T-This way…' she said and left the hall with Chocolove following her from behind.

'Now that we're done with the hall, we should go and check on the boys. If I ever found them slacking off I will make them run 50 laps… ' Anna said in a threatening tone as she walked out of the room. Pilica followed her from behind.

Suddenly Anna stopped walking and Pilica accidentally bumped into her. She turned to the direction where Anna was looking and saw Hao sitting on a stone bench that was facing a lake. He threw a small pebble into the lake and sighed.

'It's not like you to be in such a depressed state.' Anna said bluntly as she walked towards the fire shaman.

Hao turned to the blond girl and glanced at her impassively. He then shifted his gaze to Pilica who stood behind Anna. Pilica just stared at him and remained silent. He then stood up with his back facing them.

'Why am I here in the first place?' he suddenly asked. His tone was more of a demand than a request.

'You fainted so Yoh--'

'Why am I here?' his tone became cold and threatening.

Pilica became frightened and couldn't help but walk a few step backwards. Anna sighed and told Pilica to help her check on the boys instead of her. Pilica immediately nodded and left the place.

'You haven't answer my question.' Hao said coldly without turning to face her.

'The main reason you're still in this residence is mainly because Yoh wanted you to come. Therefore--'

'you comply to his wishes and brought me here without my consent.' Hao finished.

'Yoh have brought you here without your permission because you fainted. How is he going to ask you when you're not even conscious.'

'Don't lie. It was you who came up with this plan right? Anna…'

'Don't call me by my first name. I wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for Yoh.'

'I see. So, it really is for your convenience.' Hao said and smirked.

'That is to be precise. The other reason is that you fainted and Yoh end up bringing you here.' Anna responded.

'You are the one who did it aren't you?' he asked.

'No, I only came up with the idea. The one who handled this wasn't me.'

'Really…who is it then?'

'He was your ex-comrade in shaman fight.' For a moment Hao was surprised but he managed to hide it from the Itako. He unconsciously lifted his hand and rubbed his head in which he had been hit yesterday.

'I see. Thank you for the information.'

'If you want to thank me then you better make yourself useful in this house. There are dishes in the kitchen that is needed to be washed, after finishing the dishes you can spend your time training with Yoh. Is that okay with you?' Anna asked in her usual cold manner.

'It's fine. I'm only doing it as gratitude.' He said casually.

'You better not slack or you'll have me to answer to…' she said in a threatening tone and walked away.

**['I'm going to kill him when I get back'] **he thought to himself as he went into the direction where Anna had just left.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

* * *

'Where exactly did he go?' Yoh asked no one in particular as he walked pass the hallway.

While in the kitchen, Pilica had appeared and informed them about Chocolove's arrival and she also warned them that Anna was on her way there and Yoh had quickly left the place to find his older brother while Ren and Horohoro also left the place to resume their work on checking the cleanliness of every single room in this residence. Lyserg was still fixing the hole in the kitchen and Pilica had offered to help him. None of them had dared to disobey the blond so far and Yoh felt pity for them.

_ushi tora no kanata yori umareshi mi nareba…_

_yami no uchi_

_iku-dama, ashi-dama,shini kaeshi-dama_

_oni mochi ni kazari aka iro no tate hoko wo matsure_

Suddenly Yoh heard someone singing and stopped in the hallway. He focused on listening to the voice.

_oira ka ni mukaibi tsuke yaki shirizokete_

_yami no uchi_

_uzu no ki, hiiragi, nuritenoki_

_ri ga hi ni otsureba kuro iro mono matsure_

It sounded like Hao's voice but Yoh wasn't sure. He followed the source of the voice and finally came to a stop in front of a shoji door. The voice was clearly heard and there were shuffling noises inside.

_mahoroba wa "yasuraka na ramu" kashin fuu_

_ayakashi tote to hore totemo kakutemo_

He opened the door and saw Hao washing the dish while singing. (Hao was in the other kitchen that was on the other side of the mansion.) Hao stopped singing and turned to face him. Yoh remained silent and stared at him for long moments.

'What?' Hao finally broke the silence.

Yoh was snapped back to reality and he scratched the back of his head.

'Nothing… It just that…uhh…I didn't know you could sing so well…' he grinned sheepishly.

Hao said nothing and continued washing the dish but this time he didn't sing anymore. Yoh took a seat and watched him silently. There was a long silence as Hao continued to wash the dishes and Yoh watched him in silence.

'Can I help?' Yoh finally said after the long moments of silence.

Hao turned and stared at him for a moment. He then held up a piece of dry cloth and threw it in Yoh's direction before he continued washing the dish. Yoh caught the cloth and went beside his older brother. He took a plate from the stack of dish and began cleaning it dry with the cloth while Hao continued to scrub the dish in the bubble-filled sink. Yoh looked at Hao who was seemingly concentrating on scrubbing the dish.

'Onii-chan?'

'Yes?'

'What was the name of the song that you sang just now?'

'Inyou no Chigiri.'

'Can you-'

'No.'

'I'm not-'

'-finished yet.'

'Don't finish-'

'-my sentence. I can read minds remember?'

'Oh, that's right…but still-'

'No.'

'Come on Onii-chan, don't be so mean…it's my birthday after all…please?' Yoh gave him a pleading look.

Hao stared at his younger brother. He sighed.

'Alright, but after I'm done with the dishes okay?' He said. Yoh's face brightened and he hugged his brother.

'Thank you Onii-chan!'

Suddenly, Hao's eyes widened and he pushed Yoh roughly away sending him out of the room. Yoh was confused by his sudden action.

'What are you doing to my son Hao!' Mikihisa who had just passed by exclaimed as he had seen what had happened just now.

Yohmei, Keiko, Silva, and Karim had also witnessed the scene in surprise as they stood behind Yohmei and Kino.

'I knew it! You're just pretending all this ti-' before Yohmei could actually finish, their questions got an answer and Yoh wished he hadn't knew it.

A huge sword came out of nowhere and crashed the ceiling and onto Hao. Hao couldn't evade it in time and the sword grazed his shoulder as he fell onto the floor.

'Damn it.' He hissed in frustration as he held his left hand to cover his bleeding shoulder.

'Onii-chan!' Yoh exclaimed and ran towards the pyro shaman.

'Stay away, Yoh!'

The next thing he knew the whole ceiling had crashed onto his older brother.

'ONII-CHAN!'

'That was a little different from what I had expected.' A voice said from behind.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the source of the voice. Then there was light and Marco made an entrance in a flashy way.

'WHY DID YOU DO THAT?' Yoh asked angrily.

'We thought that demon was finally delivered its judgement but it seems like he has not. You, Asakura Yoh had accepted him and aid him in his recovery and therefore you must be punished as well. Now that he had been punished you're the next one. Asakura Yoh, prepare to be punished.' Marco pushed up his glasses and aimed his gun towards Yoh.

'Whoa! What happened here Yoh!' Horohoro suddenly yelled.

'Idiot.' Ren muttered under his breath.

Yoh realized that everyone had gathered together.

'Marco-san what are you doing here!' Lyserg asked.

'I am here to deliver Hao and Yoh judgement.'

'But Marco-san, Hao wasn't a bad person anymore.' Yoh said suddenly.

Marco was shocked to hear his words.

'He is EVIL!' he said and the lens of his glasses cracked.

'Well then, I'll explain it in eight simple words. He. Does. Not. Kill. Humans. Anymore.' Yoh replied.

'That's only six. Didn't you learn Maths in school?'

'You. Idiot. There, eight words. Don't interrupt until I've finished my sentence.' Yoh retorted.

The boys all smirked sarcastically while Anna wore a smug expression on her face. The other girls chuckled including Keiko. Yohmei, Kino and Mikihisa were dumbfounded. Since when did Yoh learn to speak in such a way?

'Damn you Asakura Yoh!' Marco's angel held up its sword and was about to attack Yoh when Spirit of fire suddenly appeared and caught the sword.

'IF YOU EVEN LAID A FINGER ON HIS HAIR YOU'RE DEAD.' came a scary voice.

They shifted their gaze onto the kitchen that had crashed and Hao had staggered himself up and they could see that his clothes were terribly torn. There were stains of blood on many parts of his body mainly on his shoulder.

'Onii-chan!' Yoh called out and ran towards his brother.

'Spirit of fire, finish him off.'

'No! Don't kill him!' Yoh begged his brother.

Hao blinked for a few moments.

'I just want to knock him out that's all…' Hao replied silently so that only Yoh could hear and avoided the younger boy's gaze.

Yoh blinked a few times before a smile began to curve his lips.

'Spirit of fire.'

The spirit attacked the angel and sliced it into three with its claws. Hao stumbled upon his knees and clutched his head. Yoh knelt down and supported him. His Spirit of fire then disappeared into thin air.

'You need a lot more than that to defeat me Hao. In your condition you definitely won't be able to do it.' Marco said and created a new oversoul of his angel and attacked. Ren, Horohoro, Ryu, Lyserg, and Chocolove stepped forward and went into oversoul mode and then they were about to attack him until…

'Marco, stop this fight immediately.' came a voice out of nowhere.

Marco froze and he was so shocked that his oversoul turned back into a bullet and fell on the floor.

'M-M-M-Maiden-sama! What are you doing here?'

'That's our question captain four-eyes.'

This time the cracked lens of his spectacles had popped out of the frame. Standing behind the iron maiden was the other X-Law's member that had passed away during the tournament. They were not floating but they were standing there and he can't see pass through their bodies at all. They were wearing normal clothing unlike Marco who was wearing his X-Laws uniform. Jeanne wore her usual white dress.

'What the HELL is going on?' Marco exclaimed as he pointed accusingly at the member that was once dead.

'They just got revived that's all.' Liam suddenly said and surprised everyone.

'Dad, do you know something?' Lyserg asked.

'Well, I think you better ask him.' He said and focused his gaze on Hao who was no longer clutching his head but was glaring murderously at the dowser instead.

Jeanne walked towards the pyro shaman and was about to help him up when Marco suddenly stopped her.

'Jeanne-sama! Don't go near that sinner! He is evil and dangerous!' Marco said loudly.

'He is NOT evil Marco!' Yoh shot back.

'No! He was evil! He is still evil and he will always be evil!' Marco said.

SMACK!

Everyone was utterly surprised that it wasn't Anna who did the work. It was Jeanne…

'Marco, show some benevolence will you? It was true that he was once evil but he had already repented for his sins. You can see it for yourself.'

As soon as she finished her speech, a woman came into the room. She has green eyes and her golden hair was curly at the bottom. She was cuddling a little baby that looked exactly like Marco except for the green eyes and standing behind her was a little girl with blue eyes and her silky golden hair was at shoulder's length. She was tugging at the woman's dress.

'It has been a long while since we last met has it not, Marco?' she spoke.

Suddenly, the girl that was tugging at the woman's dress ran towards Marco and wrapped her little arms on him. Her eyes were teary.

'We missed you daddy…'

Everyone (except Hao and the member's of X-Laws) gapped.

'DADDY?' they exclaimed in unison.

Marco was silent. Then, he hugged her daughter. Stream of tears were rolling down his cheeks.

'I miss you too Maria…'

He then stood up and went towards her wife.

She passed the infant to the little girl before the two couple hugged each other affectionately.

'Victoria…I miss you so much.'

'Marco…I miss you too.'

They continued hugging each other and the others watched the scene in silent until...

'Daddy, why is that girl sleeping on the floor?' The girl named Maria asked as she held his little brother in one of her hands while pointing at the figure that was lying on the floor with the other hand.

'Onii-chan!' Yoh who had totally forgotten about his brother was snapped back to reality.

Faust who had also forgotten about the presence of the pyro shaman immediately gave him his needed treatment. Jeanne and the X-Laws members went to assist him. Meanwhile, Maria stared questioningly at them without understanding what are they doing.

'I think you owe him an apology…' Victoria said as she turned to face his husband.

* * *

**Author's Note's:**

**I was just writing this in case you guys were curious as to why I decided to name Marco's wife Victoria and Maria so if you weren't interested, it's okay...you can straight away proceed to the next chapter.**

**For those who want to know, I have been thinking for a long time on what name should be given to Marco's wife until I suddenly thought of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom for god-knows-what reason. I thought that name sounded quite suitable and so I randomly decided to name her Victoria. As for Maria, I decided to choose Marco's daughter's name as Maria because I decided to follow both Marco and Victoria's name. Another reason is that I'm totally out of ideas so I decided to create their names by following the name of their parent's just like how Hana and Tao men are named.**

**My reason must have sounded random and crappy…*shrugged***


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

'I'm fine.' He said blandly.

'_Sigh_…do you have to be so stubborn even in times like this?' Yoh asked.

'Yes.' He replied.

'Can't you drop that 'tough guy act' habit of yours?'

'Nope.'

'Not even once?'

'Nope.'

'For an hour?'

'Nope.'

Yoh placed his hand on his hips.

'Have you ever seen a child of our age?' Yoh asked his brother.

'No--yes.'

'Have you seen how they act like?' Yoh emphasized on the word 'act'.

Hao suddenly glared at him.

'In case you forgot, I'm not a child Yoh. I'm one thousand years old.' He said.

'On the contrary you are Hao. You're in the body of a fifteen year old boy remember?'

'So what? That still doesn't mean I am a child.'

'See? You're always being so stubborn. Then, you're in 'tough guy act mode' all the time. Even Ren wasn't as stubborn as you do though I still have to admit he was in the 'tough guy act mode' sometimes.'

'I'm not stubborn.'

'There you go again…' he said and shook his head.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Marco didn't wait for the two boys to give him the permission and entered the room as soon as he had knocked on the door. He went towards Hao and simply ignored Yoh as he walked pass the younger boy. He bowed at Hao.

'Sorry for ambushing you.' He said and immediately walked out of the room without waiting for a reply. The disturbed look on his face was surprisingly funny in Yoh's opinion.

After he had left the room, Yoh was about to burst out laughing when suddenly someone beat him to it.

That person was his very own twin brother, Hao…

Yoh blinked and stared at his brother with a confused expression. It was the first time he actually heard his brother's cheerful laugh instead of his usual maniacal laugh. He enjoyed watching it though. His body was trembling terribly as he tried to refrain himself from laughing. Suddenly he stopped laughing and his eyes were wide with shock. He quickly turned away from Yoh. Yoh could have sworn he saw his brother blushing. He couldn't help but to burst out laughing at his brother's behavior and the disturbed look on his face.

'WHAT?!' Hao said annoyed with his other twin.

'I didn't know you were so FUNNY!' he managed between chuckles.

He fell on the floor laughing at the older boy as he punched the floor with his fists. Hao who was getting more annoyed took the pillow that he was leaning on and threw it at his laughing younger brother. He sighed as the younger boy could not stop laughing at him. He stood up and went towards the door before sliding it open and walked out of the room.

'Onii-chan, wait!' he tried to refrain himself from laughing but he could hardly manage as he kept laughing thinking of his brother's behavior. It was the first time he had actually laughed that much. He wanted to follow him but it wasn't possible as he could hardly move from the spot due to too much of laughing...

* * *

The doorbell rang and Yohmei went to open the door as the others were too busy fixing the damages at the kitchen. It was almost done by now. The only kitchen left intact was the one close to the living room where Ryu had prepared all kinds of food for the guest with the assistance of Jun and later Tamao who helped in making desserts. Most of the guest that arrived was served by the Hanagumi who had arrived after the fight between Marco and Hao had taken place. Right now, the only thing left was to finish up fixing the kitchen and to wait for the birthday boys.

He opened the door and saw no one…

'Opacho is down here.' a voice said.

Yohmei looked down and saw the little boy holding a kitten in his hands waving at him. He closed the door and walked away.

* * *

'Onii-chan!' Yoh called out as he tried to catch up with him.

Hao sighed exasperatedly.

'Now what?'

'You need to change your clothes! You can't go out and confront people wearing that! It's your birthday!'

'Who said I was going to celebrate my birthday? I'm leaving.' Hao said and walked away.

'WHAT?!'

He ran pass Hao and stop in front of him. He spread his arms sideways.

'No! I'm not going to let you leave!'

Hao blinked.

'and how are you supposed to do that?' the question had took Yoh by surprise.

'Now that you mentioned it…How am I supposed to do that?' he placed his hand on his chin and started thinking on how to stop Hao from leaving. Little did he know that Hao had already left that place…

* * *

'Where THE HELL are they?!' Anna said angrily. Tamao was following her from behind.

She had saw Yoh when she was on her way to the living room and he had told her that he was with his brother and he will meet her in the hall soon but he had not appeared even after TWO hours. Anna and his friends were now looking for him throughout the whole mansion. As Anna turned to the corner, he bumped into Yoh.

'WHERE WERE YOU?! YOU'VE BEEN MISSING FOR HOURS!'

'S-S-Sorry Anna, I was looking for Onii-chan. Ah…ONII-CHAN!'

'What's wrong?'

'HE SAID HE WAS LEAVING! I GOT TO STOP HIM!' before Anna could say anything the boy had ran away.

Anna sighed.

'_He's_ such a troublesome man…' she muttered under her breath.

'Tamao, use your kokkuri board to find Hao.'

'Y-Y-Yes, Anna-sama.'

She quickly put down the board. She knelt down and immediately started to work. After a long silence, she turned to Anna.

'He's at the garden in the west side of the house.' Tamao said.

'Thank you, Tamao. Now go and inform Yoh on his whereabouts and I'll meet you in the hall.'

'Yes, Anna-sama.'

* * *

Hao slide open the door and walked into the garden that was located at the west side of the house. He walked silently and sat on the stone bench that was facing the lake.

'You can come out now.' Hao's voice was cold and void of any emotion.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard and the silhouette of a person is seen. However, the mysterious figure is vaguely seen in the darkness of the night.

'Why acting so cold? It spoils your cuteness you know…' the figure said menacingly. What's surprising about it was that it sounded like a boy at the age of fourteen to fifteen.

'What do you want?' Hao asked in a cold and demanding tone.

'Nothing. I just wanted to visit my _precious family_ that's all. Ah…speaking of family, your _precious little Otouto_ seems really attached to you…' his voice was full of malice.

Hao stood up and glared at the figure.

'DON'T YOU EVEN DARE TOUCH HIM! HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!' Hao said angrily.

'_Nothing_ to do with this??? Oh no…he was already involved in this since the end of the tournament. He was already involved with this the moment he had _killed_ you. Have you forgotten?' the figure asked.

The atmosphere suddenly became unusually tense.

'It seems like your _precious Otouto_ is on his way here…well then, we shall meet again and I shall meet that _precious little Otouto_ of yours as well.' The figure said.

'What?!' Hao stared at the figure with shock.

'Until then, you should spend more time with him rather than avoiding him because.…your time is running out. I don't think I need to tell you why because you already know the answer better than anyone else…' the figure said and disappeared in a lick of flames.

The door slid open and Hao turned to the direction of the door. Yoh was gasping for air and Lyserg and Tamao was standing behind him doing the same thing.

'**Until then, you should spend more time with him rather than avoiding him because.…your time is running out. I don't think I need to tell you why because you already know the answer better than anyone else…' **Hao thought back to what _he_ had just said.

'Onii-chan...thank god I finally found you.'

'Everyone was looking everywhere for you! What exactly are you doing standing in the middle of the garden?!' Lyserg said as he continued gasping for air.

'Sorry.'

The three of them fell silent. They hadn't misheard it right? Hao was saying SORRY?! Hao read their minds and continued…

'I said I was sorry. You didn't misheard anything.' He said and turned away feeling awkward for the fourth time today.

Lyserg and Yoh stared at each other before a sly grin made its way onto their faces. They went towards Hao and Yoh went in front of him while Lyserg stood behind him.

'Well then, for your punishment …' Lyserg's voice trailed off.

Suddenly, Yoh grabbed Hao's hand and pulled him from the front while Lyserg pushed him from behind making him to walk out of his own will.

'Firstly,you must go take a bath.' Lyserg said as the boys forcefully motioned Hao back into the house.

'Wha--'

'After that, I'll replace your bandages…' Yoh added.

'Wait!'

'Then, you must change your clothes.' Lyserg continued.

'and then we're going to celebrate our birthday together and you must be there all the time until the end of our celebration. No slacking.' Yoh said as he turned to his brother giving him his trademark grin.

'They won't want me there.' Hao suddenly said and the two boys stopped moving.

'It's alright Onii-chan. Everything will work out.' Yoh said and continued to pull him by the hand while Lyserg continue to push him with both of his hands.

* * *

'Where is Yoh?' Yohmei asked Anna. His patience was getting thinner every second. The party have ended and they were only waiting for the birthday boys to blow their candles yet his grandson was still nowhere to be seen.

'He's probably with Hao.' Anna replied.

'Damn it. It's always him.' Yohmei said angrily.

Suddenly the room became silent. Too silent…

'What's going on--' Yohmei turned and he fell silent.

Standing there was Yoh, Hao, Lyserg and Tamao. The birthday boys were wearing the same clothing and they had their hair in ponytail position. The surprising part is that Yoh and Hao looked so alike that they most probably won't recognize which of the two was Yoh if their hair were at the same length. Both of them were wearing the same clothes and Hao was trying to adjust his shirt. Yoh scratched the back of his head.

'Ummm…hi?' Yoh grinned and nudged Hao. Hao stared at his brother for a moment and heaved a sigh.

'Sorry we're late.' He tried to hide the anger in his voice but to no avail.

Many stared at the long haired shaman with wide eyes and distrust. Suddenly, Hao's eyes narrowed and he looked in every direction as if he was looking for someone.

'Is there something wrong?' Lyserg asked.

He walked past the crowd and went towards the door. As soon as he opened it he saw Opacho was sitting there sobbing with her cat beside her as if it was trying to comfort her by nudging her.

'Opacho, what are you doing there?! Where's Luchist?!' Hao exclaimed.

'_sniff sniff_…H-H-Hao-sama…' Opacho called out as he went and hugged his legs. The cat also went and nudged Hao's legs.

'I'm going to kill Luchist when I get back.' He muttered under his breath.

'Didn't I tell you to ring the doorbell Opacho?' Hao asked.

'Opacho did…but that Ojiisan didn't let me in…' Opacho said as he pointed towards Yohmei's direction. Everyone shifted their attention towards the old man.

'O-Ojiichan, did you actually do that?'

'Yes.'

Yoh stared at his grandfather disbelievingly.

Hao shot him a death glare and Yohmei winced slightly.

'Do you want to get BURNED Asakura Yohmei?' he said venomously.

'NO! Don't burn him!' Yoh said.

Hao sighed. He shouldn't have come here in the first place. This is nothing but a waste of time. He turned to Opacho and patted him on the head.

'The next time if you want to come in, just ignore them and go okay?' Hao simply said as he ignored the others.

'What if they won't let me?' Opacho asked.

'If they were to do anything to you, just tell me and I'll take care of it.' He said reassuringly.

'Who do you think you are Hao?! This isn't your house!' Yohmei said angrily.

'On the contrary it was my house. I am the one who built it a thousand years ago.' Hao said sarcastically. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yoh a little disappointed and had read his thoughts. He heaved a sigh.

'Look, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. If you wanted to get rid of me so badly you should just finish this up quickly. Right Yoh?' Hao stared at his little brother. Yoh blinked.

'I'm not a patient person so make it fast.' He said and crossed his arms. Yoh smiled happily as he pulled his brother towards the table where the cake is placed. Keiko began to light up the candles. Then, they sang happy birthday song. After that, Yoh began to make a wish while Hao stood there and waited like the others. Yoh realized it when he opened his eyes and saw Hao staring at him doing nothing.

'Onii-chan, did you make a wish?' Hao blinked and stared at him with pure confusion.

The others were confused as well as they whispered against each other while they watched the older twin who had not done anything. Then, realization had suddenly hit Yoh and he couldn't help to ask him even though he already knew the answer.

'Hao, have you ever celebrated your birthday in your years of living?' Yoh asked.

He didn't really expect him to answer but he got one.

'Nope.' Hao answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

* * *

'**Hao, have you ever celebrated your birthday in your years of living?' Yoh asked.**

**He didn't really expect him to answer but he got one.**

'**Nope.' Hao answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.**

Silence, gasps and dropped jaws were the reaction he had received from all the guests that was present. Even Yohmei himself was surprised by the answer.

'What?' Hao asked annoyed.

They exchanged glances and began to talk with each other on the newly discovered information.

'So this is the first time you're celebrating your birthday then…' Yoh said as his smiled widened.

**['I'm glad I celebrated your first birthday with you Onii-chan…'] **Yoh thought to his brother.

'I'm happy that I'm invited to your first birthday celebration.' Liam suddenly interrupted and shook his hand.

Yoh abruptly pulled him closer to the cake.

'It's said that if we wish during our birthday or when we saw shooting stars, the wish will come true. So all you need to do is close your eyes and make a wish before blowing the candle.' Yoh said.

'Right….I'm not five years old remember?' Hao said.

'Come on Onii-chan make a wish! The candles are about to go off even without us blowing it.' Yoh urged.

'Whatever.' Hao simply said but obliged nonetheless. He knew for sure if he didn't do that, Yoh is going to pout at him for hours especially since this was the first time he had actually celebrated his birthday. After the twins had blown the candles, the cakes were distributed to each and every guest in the room. While the others were having their dessert, Yoh, Hao, Lyserg, Tamao, and Opacho ate the food that was kept for them.

Hao had helped Opacho to take some food as he was too small to take anything.

'So, what else do you want Opacho?' Hao looked at Opacho who had been lifted onto his shoulders as she gazed at the varieties of food.

'Umm….Opacho wanted that one.' Opacho pointed at the sausage.

'Okay. Is there anything else?' Hao asked as looked at Opacho.

'That's all. Hao-sama can put Opacho down now.'

Hao went towards an empty table and placed down Opacho's dish before he removed Opacho from his shoulders. He had refused to sit with Yoh saying that it wasn't a part of the punishment and Yoh couldn't do anything against it. Opacho sat and ate the food happily as Hao went to take something for his own. Yoh and friends who had been watching him from another table discussed among themselves. It wasn't just them, most of the guest were doing the same thing. Hao realized it but did nothing.

'Yoh, what did you do to him? He became so different the last time we met him. ' Chocolove whispered.

'Not to mention he had revived my parents from death.' Lyserg added as he turned to his parents who were sitting with the other Asakura member's.

'Uhh…I don't really know…he was like that as well when I met him in the city.' Yoh scratched the back of his head. Everyone gave him an incredulous stare.

'YOU'VE MET HIM IN THE CITY?' Horohoro exclaimed as he stood up. Ren and Lyserg quickly pulled him back down to his seat and Ren smacked him on the head.

'Quiet down you idiot. He can hear you.' Ren hissed.

The continued discussing as Hao tried to refrain himself from laughing out loud in front of the guests. He couldn't afford to laugh there since it would be too out of character for him and some might thought that he was insane. Even though they were whispering, he could hear them very clearly but he wasn't going to tell anyone about it.

'Can we sit with you?' a voice suddenly asked.

Hao looked up and saw his former companions, the Hanagumi. Apparently, they were serving the guest all the time and so they had not eaten anything just now. He could see the fear and hatred that was hidden in their eyes probably due to that incident where he had threatened to eat their souls. It didn't matter to him though.

'Sure, it's not like anyone's going to sit with me anyway.' He replied matter-of-factly.

The girls looked shocked for a moment. He wasn't surprised because he knew why. No mocking tone, no malicious eyes, no intimidating air, and not even an evil smirk from him! It was as if he was another person. They exchanged glances and shrugged before taking a seat with his former master. They continue to eat in silence until Macchi who had been contemplating whether she should ask a question broke the silence as she gave in to her curiousity.

'Hao-sama, how did you actually survive that attack inflicted by your brother?' Macchi bluntly asked.

Hao stopped eating and stared at the girl for a moment. Kanna and Mari's face turned pale as the two of them fought the urge to shout 'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?' in Macchi's ears. Hao read their minds and an amused smile creased his lips. They didn't really expect him to answer the question though.

'You'll have to find out the answer on your own.' He said as he stood. The girls stared at him as he lifted his plate. Opacho followed.

'I'm done eating. Let's go Opacho.'

'Yes, Hao-sama.'

They silently walked away as the girls stared disbelievingly at his former master as he placed his plate on the kitchen sink. They mentally sighed with relief and Hao smiled silently as he read their mind.

'Onii-chan…' Yoh suddenly called out from behind.

Hao turned to him and the next thing he knew his face was filled with whipped cream. The guests that were present stared incredulously at the younger boy. Yoh who was oblivious to his surroundings laughed hysterically. Hao took a towel and wiped his face, glad that it didn't get into his eyes.

SPLAT!

Hao threw the towel at Yoh and it hit him in the face and his face became filled with cream.

'That wasn't funn-' Hao's sentence was abruptly cut off when Lyserg threw a glob of cream at him.

Then Horohoro threw another glob at Lyserg and Ren at Horohoro while Yoh threw the cream-filled towel at Ren. Opacho brought Hao another towel and he wiped his face only to get another glob of cream at his face. What's surprising is that the one who threw it was Macchi. The guest had joined in as well and the whole party had turned into a huge cream fight

* * *

'That was fun wasn't it Onii-chan?' Yoh asked his brother as he dressed up in a blue yukata with flowers at the bottom part of the shirt. The response he got was a smack in his head.

'Idiot. It's nothing but a waste of time.' He said as he wiped Opacho's face. He was wearing a red yukata with stars at the bottom part of the shirt.

After the intense cream fight was over, the guest was forced to clean the place by none other than Anna. Yoh and Hao was excluded as it was their birthday and so, here they are. Changing their clothes after taking a bath and before going to sleep…As they walked pass the corridor they met most of the guests and some of them still have cream on their faces. To Hao's surprise, they had showed little to no hostility towards him. Even the Hanagumi who passed by had no longer showed any hostility and hatred towards him and they spoke to him in a manner different from the previous one

* * *

'Ah!' Yoh suddenly said to no one in particular.

'What's wrong?'

'I forgot to give you something. It's in my room.' He said and pulled him to walk faster.

'I thought we were sleeping in the same room?' Hao told his younger brother. Yoh halted and Hao unintentionally bumped into him. He scratched his head for the umpteenth time.

'Ahahaha…I had totally forgotten about that.' He grinned. Hao sighed exasperatedly.

'Are you going to stand here forever?' Hao asked.

'Oh, right.' Yoh continued pulling him until he had arrived at his destination. He slid open the door and quickly went inside followed by Hao.

'Onii-chan, can you turn around please?' Yoh said in a pleading tone.

'_Sigh_…make it quick.' Hao said and turned to his back. There were shuffling noises and after a while he heard Yoh's footsteps indicating that he was approaching him.

'Onii-chan…you can turn now.'

'You're not holding any cream are you?' Hao said and Yoh chuckled.

'Don't worry, I won't do that again. If I did that, Anna will definitely kill me.' He said.

Hao turned and saw him holding a beautifully wrapped box.

'It's a present to you from me. Happy birthday Onii-san. ' He said as he handed him the box.

Hao stared at him totally dumbfounded by the sudden surprise. He carefully held the box in his hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world. Yoh wasn't surprised. It was after all his first birthday present…

'Thank you.

* * *

He woke up and stared at the clock. It was only 2.35 p.m. He glanced at his brother and saw him soundly asleep in his futon. He rose and went out of his room. The whole residence was silent as everyone was asleep. After going to the toilet, he went back to his room. He walked along the corridor and froze when he saw a figure in the garden through the opening door.

**Wake up...**

He walked and turned to the direction where the figure was seen.

**Wake up Asakura…**

Finally, he arrived at the door connected to the garden at the west side of the house.

'Eh? I thought I saw him here…' he scratched the back of his head.

**He is in trouble…**

Hao immediately shot up from his bed. He didn't know what else could frighten him more than the unfamiliar tone used or the fact the voice spoke in a language that he could understand way too clearly.

'It must be my imagination…' he said and walked away when he saw the bushes behind the trees moving. He turned to the direction of the bush. Now that he thought about it, it was really strange that the door was opened even in the middle of the night. Normally, Keiko would have closed it before she went to sleep. Could she have forgotten? He walked towards the bushes but as soon as he entered the garden, it made an appearance.

A weird looking demon appeared and immediately charged at Yoh. Yoh was so stunned at the moment that the incident didn't have the time to register in his mind. He heard someone saying something but could not hear it clearly. Before the demon could charge at him, someone pulled him out of the way and the next thing he knew a huge sword was penetrated into the demon's shoulder. Yoh finally came to his senses as Hao smacked him in the head. Hao sighed.

'Use the spirit of sword.' Hao told him.

'But Onii-chan, how am I supposed to use Harusame when you're using it?'

'That was mine. Yours is right here.' he threw Harusame and Futsu no Mitama at his direction. He stared at it dumbfounded.

'Yoh, we don't have time for this. Focus on the battle.' Hao said and began to charge at the demon.

'Amidamaru in Harusame in Futsu no Mitama no Tsurugi! Oversoul Spirit of Sword!' (so long….)

Meanwhile, Hao evaded one of the demons attack and had darted towards Yoh.

'Yoh, did you see that talisman that was placed in the middle of that weird pattern?' Hao asked the younger boy. Yoh nodded.

'We need to destroy the talisman if we want to get rid of that demon. I'll distract it and when the right time comes, destroy it with the oversoul.'

'Okay, be careful Onii-chan.'

'That's my line.' He flashed him a smile and went to attack the demon.

Yoh concentrated his furyoku on his oversoul as he waited for his brother to give him the opportunity to strike at the demon. Finally, he saw it and he immediately thrust into the demon's body. The demon cried out. Rooms began to light up and the sound of sliding doors opening could be heard.

'Chou Senji Ryakketsu Mikazuki no Harae!' Hao gave him the final blow and all that's left of the demon was the bones. Then, they dissolved their oversoul.

'Yoh!' Mikihisa cried.

Both of them turned and saw many people staring at them. Apparently, everyone was awake already thanks to the demon's loud cries. Keiko ran towards Yoh and hugged him causing him to drop his Harusame and Futsu no Mitama. Yoh stared at his brother who simply watched the scene in silence.

'Hao-sama!' Opacho hopped towards his master. Hao smiled at his faithful companion.

Suddenly, he felt as if his head was a little bit wet. He touched his forehead and saw blood. Then, he heard someone calling out for his name before unconsciousness had decided to claim him.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**

* * *

In the previous chapter…**

'**Hao-sama!' Opacho hopped towards his master. Hao smiled at his faithful companion.**

**Suddenly, he felt as if his head was a little bit wet. He touched his forehead and saw blood. He heard someone calling out for his name before unconsciousness had decided to claim him. **

* * *

The next day…

'Aniki! Help me!' Yoh cried as stream of tears ran down his cheek.

'As if I can!' Hao retorted.

'Yoh-dono…' Amidamaru was crying as well.

'Onii-chan, faster!' Pilica yelled desperately.

'Yoh, faster!' Anna yelled.

'I'm starving!' Yoh announced loudly.

'Me too!' Horohoro said.

'WHAT?!' Pilica and the Itako fumed. The two boys cringed in fear.

'They said they were TRYING!' Hao said to defend for his younger brother. The two girl's anger went down.

Yoh and his friends were at the garden doing their usual training. However, Anna had forced Hao to practice as well for god-knows-what reason. They have been running for a few hours before doing their push-ups. Lyserg and Chocolove had decided to train as well and they were now fighting against Lyserg's father. The patch tribe merely watched them train and they were surprised that Anna actually managed to coerce Hao to go and train out of his own will. As soon as Hao had regained his consciousness, Anna had forcefully dragged him to the garden with her beads. Despite Hao's pretty bad condition, she was having a very difficult time pulling the pyro shaman.

Finally, she sought for help and the Patch official all decided to lend a hand (because they don't want Anna to slap them) and had pulled him with a lot of difficulties although they managed to pull him out of the garden in the end. However, as soon as they released their hands from the beads, Hao immediately ran away and Anna had to chase him all around the house again. Finally, she managed to stop him from running by using Opacho as the bait. The plan had worked and Hao was now doing push-ups together with Yoh. He had finished the Itako's training with ease and hadn't even break a sweat. Not to mention he had been training for hours already.

'Hao, I want you to run 50 laps around this house in one hour NOW!' Anna suddenly said and Hao obliged.

'Onii-chan! Run 100 laps around this house in one hour NOW!' Pilica yelled at his brother.

'PILICA ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! I'M NOT HAO!'

'GO NOW!' Pilica yelled more loudly this time.

Yoh and Ren stared at him with an apologetic look while Lyserg and Chocolove shook their head. Horohoro stood up and ran past the direction that Hao had just gone. Stream of tears ran down his cheeks.

'Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!' Ryu exclaimed in frustration.

He had been training for hours as well but his was more difficult as he had not trained at all yesterday. Faust was also losing his sanity as his training was doubled as well. He was laughing maniacally as he continued training. Those who were watching them had felt sympathy but they had not said it aloud as they couldn't win against Anna's legendary left hand slap. That morning, one of the member's of X-Law's had made a mistake by saying that Anna's training was torture and up till now, he had not regained his consciousness…

'_Sigh_…you can take a break from here.' Anna suddenly said after watching them train in frustration for so long.

Yoh fell on the floor and Ryu collapsed in exhaustion. Faust was back to normal and he fell silent.

'I'll continue training you three after Hao returned from his run.' Anna said.

Yoh swallowed his nervousness. He had a bad feeling about this…

'A-A-Anna, isn't it a little too far to make him train this much. I mean…he hadn't rested since he started training…' Yoh said nervously.

'He'll be fine. He's not like you.' Anna said bluntly and Yoh gave him a wounded look.

'An opponent like him is definitely worth to be trained with Yoh.' Ren said as he smirked. Anna wore a smug expression on her face.

'You won't be able to train with him though Ren, he'll be training with Yoh for the whole afternoon.' the Itako said.

'WHAT?!' Ren yelled.

Just then, Hao had arrived and ran pass them as if they hadn't existed. Yoh's eyes widened. He had finished running 1 lap in not more than 5 minutes?! What the heck?!

* * *

'I'm done.' Hao said.

'You're late by 15 seconds.' Anna said.

'Nope, in fact, I finished this in 59 minutes 15 seconds.' Hao shot back.

'WHAT?!' the others who were present exclaimed in unison.

'What made you think that way?' the itako asked.

'You have a stopwatch you can refer...' Hao said sarcastically and turned to the spirits of Funbari Onsen.

'Hmph. Fine. Now fight with Yoh.'

'Huh?!'

'Fight with Yoh. You can use your katana very well right?' Anna said and threw his katana at him.

'Fine.' He said as he caught his katana.

* * *

'Are you alright Yoh?' Hao asked. Yoh was trembling terribly.

'I-I-I'm fine.' Yoh stuttered. Hao sighed when he read his mind.

'I won't eat your soul like last time Yoh…'

'NO! DON'T EAT ME!' Yoh cried out as he dropped Harusame placed both of his hands around his abdomen.

'_Sigh_…this is going to be a long day…'

_Clash!_

Another Yoh appeared and attacked Hao from behind. Yoh's eyes widened as Hao dodged his attack without an oversoul. The other Yoh turned into Imari and the shadow of Yoh turned into Shigaraki. (They were Mikihisa's guardian ghost.)

'You know, playing tricks isn't nice Yoh.' Hao said as Yoh evaded one of his attack.

Hao ran towards Yoh and disappeared into thin air. Yoh looked at every direction for his brother. Suddenly, Hao reappeared behind him. He couldn't dodge his attack in time so he closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack. He reopened his eyes when he hadn't felt any pain. Ren had dodged his brother's attack.

'Ren!'

'You think I'm gonna let you fight him alone?' he said.

'Nipopo Punch!' Horohoro exclaimed and attacked Hao with his oversoul.

'Chuuka Zanmai!' Ren attacked as well.

Both of the attack that was inflicted had produced a lot of smoke. Nonetheless, as soon as the smoke had disappeared, Hao appeared unharmed. Chocolove and Lyserg went towards the place where the battle is taking place.

'Mind if we join you?' Lyserg asked.

'Nope.' Yoh replied.

'Not at all.' Hao added.

All of them teamed up and went against Hao. Although he had not oversouled, he had fought all of them without a lot of difficulties and had managed to dissolve their oversoul a few times. Soon, some of the patch official and members of X-Laws had joined in as well. However, all of them had teamed up with Yoh to defeat Hao.

* * *

It has been 4 hours since the battle started yet it had not come to an end. Most of them who participated in the fight have passed out leaving only Hao, all five elemental warriors, Marco, and Silva. Yoh and the others gasped for air as they stared at Yoh's twin brother. He was also panting heavily as well after the long fight. The fight was intense but up till now they couldn't defeat him. It was surprising that he was able to defeat them without using an oversoul. Plus, he was getting more and more fired up as he fought through the battles. Yoh was glad that this was a mere training.

'Already done for?!' Hao said as tightened his grip on his katana.

'H-h-how can you still stand unharmed after so long?!' Yoh said as he gasped for air.

'Not to mention you have not used oversoul at all.' Lyserg added as he panted.

'You're like a fighting machine!' Horohoro yelled frustrated while gasping for air.

'That is correct.'

His words had surprised all of them. He didn't bother and he charged forward. Yoh and the others charged as well. Both attacks collided and they stood with their backs facing each other. After a while, Marco collapsed with a thud sound and fainted. Silva, Ren, and Horohoro ran out of furyoku and therefore, they were counted as lost. Now only Chocolove, Lyserg, and Yoh were left to defeat Hao.

'It's no use. He's too powerful.' Lyserg finally said.

'One more attack inflicted by him and we're all done for.' Chocolove said.

'I have an idea, though I'm not sure if it's going to work.'

'We don't have a choice Yoh. If we don't try, we'll still lose.' Lyserg said.

'Alright, here's the plan…'

They whispered among each other while Hao stood there waiting for them to attack.

'Are you going to stand there forever?!' Hao told them.

They stopped whispering and turned to Hao. They stood there as Yoh dissolved his oversoul.

'You think this will work Lyserg?' Chocolove asked.

'Whether it is going to work or not, we'll still lose so it's no harm trying.' Lyserg told his friend.

'Ready guys?' Yoh asked. The two boys nodded.

'Amidamaru! Spirit ball mode!' Yoh exclaimed.

His spirit immediately obeyed and switched into spirit ball mode.

'Hyoui Gattai!'

Yoh then charged forward and attacked his brother. Their swords clashed as Lyserg and Chocolove stood there with their oversoul prepared for god-knows-what reason. Hao try to read his younger brother's mind to find out what plan he was up to. It didn't take him long to find out what they were trying to do though…

Suddenly, Lyserg's pendulum appeared from behind and attacked Hao. Hao dodged the attack but Yoh immediately attacked him causing his grip on the katana to loosen. Then, Chocolove appeared and swing his claws at him. This time, his released his grip on the katana. He fell on the floor and ran to grab his katana but Yoh had managed to beat him to it. As soon as Yoh caught a hold of his brother's sword, the three immediately turned to Hao and they attacked him in unison. The attack collided and the whole field became covered in smoke. Then, the smoke began to disappear and the scene is slowly increasing in clarity.

Finally, everything had become clear and Hao stood there still unharmed. However, he was protected by a barrier that was made up of…water?! Yoh, Lyserg, and Chocolove was unharmed as well and but their furyoku was already used up and so, Hao had won the battle.

'In the end, we lost.' Yoh said and heaved a sigh.

'and I thought we finally made it.' Chocolove said.

'You didn't lose. I did.' Hao said.

The three turned to him. They gave him a questioning look.

'My furyoku was already out when I used that barrier to defend myself.'

There were silence and dropped jaws.

'WHAT?!' all of the shaman and non-shaman that had been there exclaimed in unison.

* * *

'I can't believe it, you actually ran out of furyoku just by building up a barrier?!' Yoh asked his brother.

'Yes.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'But I thought your furyoku was--'

'1,250,000. I know.' Hao finished.

After the fight had taken place, Yoh and his friends had gathered together in one of the room together with Hao. The others went back to their respective rooms to rest before going for lunch.

'Then, how come--'

'My furyoku hasn't recovered fully since the tournament ended and I had already used up a big batch of it yesterday.'

'Oh…' Yoh lowered his head.

'Don't need to feel guilty about yesterday's incident Yoh.'

'Ya. It's not like anyone knows that's gonna happen.' Horohoro told his friend.

'I know. Still…the tournament….'

Hao suddenly caught Yoh's hand tightly. His sudden actions frightened him out of his wits. The others stared at the twins dumbfounded. Their minds were filled with different kinds of scenes. Hao then held his little brother's hand onto his chest.

'I'm still alive Yoh…why still bother things like that when I'm still here?' Hao said softly.

Yoh blinked and tried to conceal his tears that threatened to flow down his cheeks. He felt really guilty when he thought of that incident. The others stared at him with concern written all over their faces. Hao read his mind and finally understood how difficult it had been for Yoh to forcefully kill him. He sighed for a moment before releasing his grip on the younger boy's hand.

'Can all of you leave this room for a moment and come back later?' Hao asked. His tone was different from the one he usually used in which they instantly understood and left the room without another word.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**

* * *

In the previous chapter…**

'**Can all of you leave this room for a moment and come back later?' Hao asked. His tone was different from the one he usually used in which they instantly understood and left the room without another word.**

As soon as they had walked away, Hao went to lock the door. He did not want any other people to see this...It will definitely ruin his pride and they might misunderstand his intention just like how it had happened a while ago. He went towards his depressed younger brother. Yoh was still trying his best to prevent himself from crying even though it was getting more and more difficult with each passing second. He could felt the tears slowly forming in the corner of his eyes. Suddenly, Hao unexpectedly pulled him into a hug.

'Don't need to feel so guilty about it Yoh…you didn't do it on purpose. I don't blame you. Now that I'm alive and I don't blame you, that's all that had mattered. No one's here so you don't need to keep it all in.' Hao said softly.

Yoh who was being overcame by the sudden affection finally burst into tears. He cried silently while being held in his brother's embrace.

* * *

'You think he will be fine?' Horohoro asked.

'Probably will. I can't be totally sure about it though…' Lyserg answered. All of them went silent.

'If Anna actually finds out about that, I can't imagine what catastrophe will befall on Hao…'

As they walked pass the corridor and was about to turn to the corner…

'Where's Yoh?!' a voice shouted and they froze.

Stompings were heard from behind as the voice muttered curses. The boys ran to hide themselves in the nearest room. A moment later, Anna is seen from behind the door stomping along the passageway with Tamao behind her. She halted in front of the door and their hearts skipped a beat.

'Is this the place?' Anna's asked coldly. Her cold voice sends chill down their spine.

'Y-Y-Yes…Anna-sama.' Tamao stuttered.

'You've better got it right this time.' She said as she slid open the door.

'Finally!' she said and went towards her first victim, Horohoro. He held him up by the ear.

'Owowowowowowowowowow--'

'Where's Yoh?!' she said in her usual cold manner.

'I don't know!' Horohoro replied.

SMACK!

The others stared in horror as Horohoro lay on the floor unconscious. Anna proceeded to her next target, Chocolove. Chocolove had given her the similar answer.

SMACK!

As she was approaching her next prey Tamao called out to her.

'A-A-Anna-sama…' Tamao called out.

'WHAT?!' Anna said coldly.

'I-I think I've found them…' she said and Anna walked towards her.

'Where are they?!'

'In the kitchen…'

Silence follows as her words were left hanging in the air…

'Are you sure they were in the kitchen?' Lyserg asked. Tamao nodded.

'Well, what are you waiting for?! Go and help them!'

Those who were still conscious immediately left the room while those that were unconscious were left at the place...

* * *

Their jaws dropped as they watched the scene in astonishment. Hao….he was cooking?! They shook their head. A lot of awkward incident have been happening recently. Yoh meanwhile was chopping the onions. They turned when they saw them and Yoh greeted them with a simple 'Yo!'. The noticed that his eyes were red but they weren't surprised since Yoh was chopping the onions. They continued to stare at the older twin in amazement.

'Ummm….helloooo?' Yoh said and they snapped back to reality.

'Sorry.' They said in unison.

'Didn't you always see me cook?' Yoh said and turned to his brother before turning back to them. They were about to protest when Hao suddenly cut in.

'Well, they did but they have never seen the great Asakura Hao cooked so they find it unbelievable that's all…' Hao said and Yoh chuckled lightly.

'Ahhh…now that you mentioned it…' Yoh said and the two of them chuckled.

Ren, Lyserg, and Manta watched the scene in confusion. Since when did the two get along so well??? Lyserg smirked at the twins.

'So…not feeling guilty anymore?' the question took both of them by surprise and they fell silent.

Hao immediately went back to his work and so do Yoh. Ren smirked as well and Manta flashed a knowing smile.

'I see…' Ren said.

'Anyway, why is it that it wasn't Ryu who did the cooking?' Manta asked.

'Well…mom had went out to buy groceries and Ryu went to help her--'

'But Anna is hungry so Otouto wanted to make something for her quickly before she decided to double his training.'

'So I asked Aniki for help.'

'and what are you--' Lyserg's sentence was abruptly cut off by the twins.

'Rice balls and cream stew.' Yoh and Hao said in unison.

'Ummm…Yoh, if you're going to make cream stew and rice balls, why are you chopping onions?' Manta suddenly asked.

Yoh's eyes widened and Hao flinched. They looked as if they had just realized mistake that they had done.

'Manta's right. Onions aren't needed to make cream stew and rice balls. Why are you chopping the onions Yoh?' Lyserg asked.

Hao and Yoh's face was gradually turning red and realization dawned upon them.

'OHHHHHHH!!!!!!' they suddenly yelled in unison.

They tried to refrain themselves from laughing out loud as Hao's face loss its color in an instant while Yoh's face color turned into those of a tomato.

'Uhhh…I…uhhh…I think I'm done here. I'll be going for a rest.' Hao said and immediately left.

As soon as he left, the three burst out laughing and Yoh felt more and more embarrassed.

'S-S-Stop it already.' Yoh said shyly.

'I didn't know he was so good at these things. ' Lyserg said as he continued to laugh hysterically.

'What's so funny?!' a cold voice said.

All of them had stopped laughing and their face turned pale.

'ANNA?!' they exclaimed.

'You haven't answered my question.'

'N-Nothing.' Manta said.

'Nothing?!' Anna shot him a murderous glare and the boys cringed in fear. She sighed.

'Whatever, shortie.' She said and turned to Yoh.

'Yoh, what are you doing?'

'Ummm...Well...I thought that you must be hungry by now so I decided to make you some rice balls and stew.' He said nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Anna raised an eyebrow.

'Onions aren't needed to make those Yoh.' Anna said.

'They aren't?' Yoh played dumb.

'No.'

'Oh…then what am I supposed to do with these?' Yoh asked and Anna sighed.

'Anyway, as soon as you are done with it bring it to the room.' Yoh nodded in understanding.

After Anna had left Manta asked Yoh a question.

'Yoh, which room was she referring to?'

Yoh stared at his friend for a moment. He scratched the back of his head.

'I don't know…' he grinned sheepishly. Silence engulfed the four boys….

'YOU WHAT?!' they nearly shrieked.

* * *

Keiko pushed the trolley as her gaze travelled around the varieties of vegetables. Suddenly Ryu appeared from her behind with a packet of potatoes.

'I got the potatoes.'

'Thank you Ryu-san. Now that we're done, it's time to go then.' She flashed him a smile and Ryu's hair and eyes turned to the shape of heart.

When she was about to push her trolley, her trolley collided with the trolley of another person. The person fell on the floor. Keiko ran towards the person and held out her hand.

'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine. Thank you.' She raised her head and was shocked to see Keiko.

'Is there anything wrong?' Keiko stared at her with a questioning look.

'No. It's just that…you reminded me of someone I've met a while ago.' She said.

Keiko turned to Ryu but Ryu simply shrugged. While Keiko held her up, a little girl at around the age of four or five ran towards her.

'Mother, are you alright?!' she asked nervously.

'I'm fine Sara.'

The girl who went by the name of Sara was about to thank Keiko but she gasped when she saw her. She turned to her mother.

'MOM! SHE LOOKS AWFULLY LIKE_ HIM!_' she said blatantly as she pointed to Keiko.

'Sara, be polite to others!'

'Sorry mom…'

'You should apologize to her not me Sara…'

Sara turned and bowed at Keiko.

'Sorry about that…'

'It's fine. You don't need to apologize.' Keiko said as she smiled.

The two stared at Keiko in silent.

'I'll be going then…' Keiko said and snapped them back to reality.

'Wait!' Sara called out to the Asakura. Keiko turned to her.

'What's your name miss?' she asked. Keiko smiled.

'Keiko…Keiko Asakura.'

* * *

'Mom, don't you think that they both looked really alike?' Sara asked.

'Yes, they did. Still, you shouldn't have said it aloud Sara…'

'Well, I couldn't help it. We haven't met for almost a month already.'

'That's because you're too fond of him.'

'I guess…'

'Don't forget, we're not here for honeymoon. We're here to look for him remember Sara?'

'Yes, mother.'

* * *

'I'm home.' Keiko said as she opened the door with Ryu behind him.

'Welcome back.' Hao said sarcastically.

Ryu was shocked to see the pyro shaman and he wanted to oversoul but he couldn't do it at the moment because his hands were full. Keiko was surprised that it wasn't Yoh who greeted her. Normally, he was the first person to greet her when she returned. It was weird that Hao was the one who had greeted her instead as he never did things like that. Could it be that he wanted to be accepted into the family? Hao read her mind and his expression became furious.

'Don't take it the wrong way Keiko. I was only doing it because Yoh was busy so he asked me to do it in his place. Otherwise, I won't be waiting for you.' Hao said matter-of-factly and went to take one of the bags of groceries that Keiko was holding before walking away. Ryu stared at him totally awestruck. Just then, Yoh appeared and ran towards them.

'Thanks for your help Aniki.'

'You can take it from here.' Hao shoved the bag of groceries into his hands and walked away when Yoh suddenly grabbed his arm and shoved it back to him.

'What the--'

'You started the work and so you're going to have to finish the work you've started. I'll be taking the other one then.' Yoh said as he went towards Keiko and took the other bag of groceries that she was holding. Hao glared murderously at his younger brother. He heaved a sigh and walked away. Ryu gave his boss an incredulous stare.

'B-Boss…you're amazing.' He said. Yoh grinned sheepishly.

'By the way, I've placed your present in your room Yoh.' Hao said and continued walking. Yoh blinked. His present?!

'_My_ present?!'

Hao sighed exasperatedly.

'Yes, _your _present.'

'In _my_ room?!'

'Yes, in _your_ room.'

'From _you_?!'

'Yes, from _me_.'

'Really?!'

'Yes.'

He ran forward and shoved the other bag on Hao's hands.

'YOH!'

'Justthisonce...' he said rushingly and quickly ran towards his room.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**

* * *

In the previous chapter…**

**'Really?!'**

**'Yes.'**

**He ran forward and shoved the other bag on Hao's hands.**

**'YOH!'**

**'Justthisonce...' he said rushingly and quickly ran towards his room.**

Keiko smiled as she watched the scene in amusement. Hao heaved another exasperated sigh before walking away. Keiko dismissed Ryu before she went towards the long haired shaman and took one of the bags of groceries from his hands.

'Sorry about that. Yoh can be a little bit irresponsible at times…'

'It's fine. You don't need to apologize.'

They remained silent as they walked towards the kitchen. After a moment, they arrived at their desired destination. Lyserg, Ren, Manta, Ryu, and the now-awakened Chocolove and Horohoro immediately focused their gaze on the two Asakura's. Hao gave them a glare. They got the point and immediately came to help Keiko. Hao was about to walk away from the kitchen when someone called out to him.

'Onii-chan!'

Yoh ran towards his brother and jumped onto him from behind. To his surprise, Hao did not fell down on the floor. Instead, he held the younger boy over his shoulders. Yoh felt very comfortable being held up on his shoulders though. Hao looked over his shoulders.

'Otouto, you should really stop ambushing people like that. It's not very nice.'

'Awww come on, it's not like I can ambush you…' Yoh whined. Then he hugged his brother while he was being held.

**['Thanks for the present by the way…']** Yoh thought to his brother.

Hao sighed and put him down. He turned and saw everyone in the kitchen staring at the two boys. Yoh waved at them.

'Yo.' He gave them his trademark grin. Hao was about to walk away again when Yoh grabbed his arm and pulled him into the kitchen. Hao reluctantly went back into the kitchen.

'So, is there anything we can help?' Yoh emphasized on the word 'we'. Hao crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently wanting to leave this place as soon as possible.

'Umm…Maybe you should just go and wait till lunch is ready…' Keiko said hesitantly.

'My pleasure Keiko.' Hao said and was about to walk away when Yoh grabbed his arm and pulled him back for the third time that day.

'We'll be sitting here then.' Yoh said and pulled his brother to sit down at a table nearby. Keiko sighed in defeat. Yoh was always like that.

'There are a few dishes that are needed to be washed. Can you do it for me Yoh?'

Yoh smiled satisfied and stood up. He nudged his brother by kicking his leg. Hao glared at his twin and heaved a sigh.

'Is there anything I can help?' he said as he stood. Everyone except Yoh gave him an incredulous stare.

'Ummm…' Keiko looked around to see which task can be given to the pyro shaman.

'You can ask Aniki to cook if you want.' Yoh suddenly interrupted.

Keiko stared at Yoh with a questioning look while the others that were present stared at him disbelievingly. Hao gave him a glare but it didn't seem to affect him in any way.

'Yoh, I can't cook and I can assure you if I were to cook, they'll all spit the food out of their mouth just after taking the first bite…' Hao protested.

'Umm…You see… Jeanne, Pilica and Tamao tried the stew you made for Anna and they commented that--' Yoh's sentence was abruptly cut off by his brother.

'They WHAT?!' he all but shrieked.

'Sorry, when I found Anna she was with them and they asked for some as well so…' Yoh grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Hao fumed and gave his brother a death glare.

'You made the stew all by yourself?' Keiko asked the pyro shaman.

'Yup, Onii-chan made them all by himself.' Yoh said on his brother's behalf. Keiko thought for a moment.

'What did they comment on the stew?' Keiko asked Yoh. Everyone turned to Yoh.

'They said it was delicious. They thought it was Ryu who made it though…' Yoh said cheerfully. Everyone focused their attention on the long haired shaman and gave him an incredulous stare.

'Is there any stew left?' Keiko asked.

'There's a little bit more. Why?'

'Well, I wanted to taste some on my own.' Keiko said and Yoh grinned.

'It's right there.' Yoh pointed out at a pot that was beside Lyserg. Keiko went and scooped up a spoonful of the remaining stew in the pot and fed herself with it. Horohoro scooped up a spoonful of the stew and fed himself with it as well. Yoh and the others that were present in the room did the same except for Hao. They exchanged glances with each other before staring at Hao.

'Onii-chan…the stew you made is……delicious.'

'The best I've ever tasted.' Chocolove said.

'You're a really good cook Hao.' Lyserg added.

'Your stew is even more delicious then the stew Pilica made at home.' Horohoro said and proceeded to get more.

'It's even better than the stew I made.' Ryu said.

'Though I have always hated stew, I have to admit this stuff is good.' Ren said.

'It's decided then!' Keiko suddenly said as she clasped her hands. She turned to Hao.

'Hao, can you help me prepare the lunch for everyone?' Keiko asked.

'_Sigh_…alright.'

* * *

After preparing everything, they went and called everyone for lunch. Everyone had gathered together and lunch proceeded peacefully. That is, until Anna suddenly called out.

'Ryu, you're cooking seems to have improved tremendously. Did you go to a culinary academy or something?'

Ren who was drinking unintentionally spat out his milk while Horohoro, Chocolove, Yoh, and Ryu choked on whatever they're eating. Hao immediately placed down his cup of tea and turned away from the group utterly coughing. Lyserg and Manta's hand holding a cup of water was frozen in midair. They were about to drink the cup of water until Anna froze their actions. They were glad they hadn't been drinking their water. They could have ended up like Hao. Keiko meanwhile smiled in amusement.

'Ummm…. Anna, i-it wasn't Ryu who did the cooking….' Yoh suddenly interrupted after he had recovered from his choking. Anna raised an eyebrow.

'I don't think so. The only person in my mind that can prepare something like that is only him. No one else had been able to prepare something that is even up to his par, Yoh.'

'Well, that person is not only up to his par Anna-san, he had already surpassed him.' Lyserg said and Hao's coughing suddenly increased in volume.

'Yup, he definitely has.' Yoh added and gave Hao a meaningful look.

'Ryu, it was you who did the cooking right?' Anna asked expectantly. Ryu gulped his nervousness.

'I-I-It wasn't me Anna Okami. I-I-I only helped to chop the vegetables.' Ryu stammered.

'If it wasn't you then who was it?' Anna asked.

Hao stood up abruptly as he had recovered from his coughing.

'I'm full.' He bowed and was about to leave when both Yoh and Lyserg grabbed him by the arm. Yoh grabbed his left arm while Lyserg grabbed his right. Lyserg had somehow gotten a little liking to the fire shaman since yesterday when he helped Yoh to force him to join the birthday party.

'What's the rush Hao?' Lyserg said in a teasing tone.

'It's not like you to leave so quickly.' Yoh continued.

'I…uh…I……I need to go to the toilet!' Hao said desperately trying to excuse himself. He knew it was a lame excuse but he couldn't think of anything else right now. He could actually felt himself blushing. Yoh and Lyserg exchanged glances with each other. They understood his tactics and they decided to play along.

'Ok…I'll let you leave.' Lyserg said and let go his hand.

'Come back soon….' Yoh purposely said to prevent him from running away.

Hao immediately left the room in a rush. Yoh and Lyserg went back to their seat.

'Yoh, don't tell me the one who did the cooking was--' Yohmei's sentence was abruptly cut off by his daughter.

'Hao did it.' Keiko finished.

The guest in the room dropped their spoons and some of them got choked. A few of them even spat out their drinks.

'I guess you believed us now…' Lyserg told the Itako.

'Remember the stew you ate with Tamao and Pilica and Jeanne?' Yoh suddenly asked his fiancee. The ice queen seemed to have come to a realization when Yoh asked her that.

'Hao made the stew.' Ren finished.

'He made the stew?' Jeanne suddenly asked surprised.

'Well…yeah. I wanted to make something for Anna in case she's hungry so I asked him for some help…sorry I didn't tell you about it Anna…' Yoh said.

'No, it's fine Yoh. By the way, I have something to ask of him. I want the him to meet me in my room after lunch.' she said and continued eating. Somehow, Yoh had a hunch that it had something to do with _Funbari Onsen_….

Yohmei had stopped eating by that time and was eyeing the food with suspicion. Kino stopped eating as well. Most of the guest weren't affected though and they continued eating and some had asked for more. Yohmei and Kino then stood up. Yoh blinked at his grandparents.

'Ojii-san, Obaa-san,where are you going?' Yoh asked.

'We're full Yoh.' The two Asakura said and left the room. Mikihisa followed after them. Yoh turned to his mother who gave him an apologetic look. The lunch continued to proceed with the absence of Hao and the three Asakura's. Little did they know that another two guest had already left the place…

* * *

He lay on the grass with his eyes closed. It was so silent, so relaxing, and so comfortable to be close to nature. It had been so silent until…

'Hao, we need to talk.' that cold voice belonged to none other than his grandfather, Asakura Yohmei. He heaved a sigh.

'I don't see any point in talking with you.' he said as he stood up and dusted off the dirt on his clothing. He turned and saw Yohmei, Kino and Mikihisa standing on the verandah.

'I thought so you would say that. I'm warning you…don't get too close with Yoh. I don't care even if you had revived all those that you killed, stay away from my grandson you demon! I hated you for being alive! I hated you for being here! I hated you for who you are! You shouldn't have been alive in the first place! You should be--'

'Let's just get this straight Yohmei. You hated me more than anything in this whole world that you wanted me to disappear forever. So, what are you going to do Asakura Yohmei? Do you really think you're capable of defeating me? ' Hao asked.

'DAMN YOU DEMON CHILD!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'If you hated me so badly then let me tell you this Yohmei! You don't need worry about Yoh! I won't get too close with that grandson of yours and I won't stay here for long! I WILL RETURN WHEN THE TIME HAS COME! I DON'T NEED YOU TO KICK ME OUT WITH YOUR SHIKIGAMI NOR DO I NEED YOU TO REMIND ME TO LEAVE! I WILL DEFINITELY GET LOST ON MY OWN! IF YOU REALLY LOVED AND CARED ABOUT THAT GRANDSON OF YOURS THEN YOU SHOULD STOP ARGUING WITH ME AND LEAVE ME IN PEACE UNTIL I LEAVE! DO YOU REALLY THINK HE WILL BE HAPPY SEEING HIS OLDER BROTHER ARGUING WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS?!' Hao yelled in frustration. The three Asakura's were totally taken aback by his sudden outburst. Yohmei regained his composure almost immediately.

'Very well…Until then, I hope you will keep your words Hao. If you ever do anything that will hurt my grandson, I won't forgive you.' Yohmei said and they left altogether.

Hao then regained his composure and heaved a sigh. He turned to the corner of the corridor and caught a glimpse of something moving. He sighed again.

'You know, it's not nice to eavesdrop on people's conversation.' Hao said to no one in particular. He sighed again when no one had responded.

'Unless you want me to drag you out, you better come out on your own. I don't like to drag people especially when I know the person is a girl that is a few ages younger than me Jeanne…' he continued.

The girl finally revealed herself and walked towards the long haired shaman.

'You too Diethel…..' Hao added.

The boy came out as well and went towards the long haired shaman.

'S-S-Sorry.' Lyserg said.

'Don't blame him. It was my idea.' Jeanne said to defend the boy.

'Hao…is it true you're going to leave Yoh?' Lyserg asked. For a moment, Hao stared at him with an unreadable expression.

'You've already heard what I said in that conversation didn't you?'

'Yes, but still…' Lyserg's voice trailed off. Hao sighed and put his hand on the dowser's shoulder.

'Keep this secret from Yoh will you?' he asked. For a moment there was silence.

'No.' Lyserg protested as he shook Hao's hand off his shoulder.

'Lyserg--' Hao's sentence was abruptly cut off by the green haired boy.

'He deserved to know! No matter what, he was still a part of this family! I don't understand you at all! You're his brother! Don't you cared about his feelings?!'


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

* * *

'**Keep this secret from Yoh will you?' he asked.**

'**No.' Lyserg protested as he shook Hao's hand off his shoulder.**

'**Lyserg--' Hao's sentence was abruptly cut off by the green haired boy.**

'**He deserved to know! No matter what, he was still a part of this family! I don't understand you at all! You're his brother! Don't you cared about his feelings?!'**

Hao smiled sadly and shook his head slowly.

'Lyserg, he mustn't know. If he were to find out, things would only become more complicated. I really can't tell you the truth right now. The only thing I can tell you is that one day, you'll definitely understand. Right now, just leave everything as it is.'

'But--'

'I know he is your friend, but just help me this once.'

Lyserg was about to protest when Jeanne suddenly interrupted their conversation.

'Alright. We'll help you, but let me remind you, this will be the first and also the last time.'

'What?!' Lyserg was shocked.

'I'll take note of that.' Hao said and left. He suddenly halted and turned to them.

'Thanks by the way.' He said and went inside.

* * *

A few hours later after the argument…

'Onii-chan!'

He was walking peacefully when his younger brother suddenly called out to him. The younger boy ran towards the fire shaman followed by the Patch officials (except for Goldva) and the members of X-Laws (except Jeanne and Lyserg) which was really weird and suspicious in Hao's opinion. He had a bad feeling about all this…

'O-Onii-chan, Anna wants to see you.' Yoh said as he gasped for air. Hao's brow furrowed and he felt that if he were to disobey, something bad would befall on him. That didn't stop him from refusing though…

'I'm not in the mood of seeing anyone right now. Now if you'll excuse me Yoh…'

He quickly walked away from the group. He wasn't in the mood to have another argument. He had enough of it already for today. Right now, he wanted peace and privacy. It wasn't easy to find peace in this place though. As he was walking, the Patch officials abruptly pinned him to the floor.

'What are you doing?!'

'Sorry Aniki… Anna would kill me if I didn't do as she says…' stream of tears were rolling down his cheek as he stood there doing nothing.

He struggled to break free but the Patch had his hands and legs held in place as the X-Laws tied him up. So that was why they were with his twin…

'LET ME GO!' he yelled and struggled even though he was being tied up.

After that, Silva carried the long haired boy over his shoulders and began walking. Yoh and the others followed from behind.

'PUT ME DOWN!' Hao yelled but was being ignored. He struggled to free himself even though he knew it as fultile.

'Onii-chan please, calm down.' Yoh said as he stared at his brother apologetically.

'I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT STUPID FIANCEE OF YOURS! I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYBODY! LET ME GO!' he stopped struggling and was now glaring at the younger boy.

'Onii-chan, she is just going to see you for a while.'

'I DON'T CARE! NOW PUT ME DOWN AND LET ME GO!' he said angrily as he looked at his younger brother.

'You know I can't do that.' He said. Hao felt like strangling him on the spot.

'Whoa! What's going on Yoh?! What did he do?!' Horohoro exclaimed as he pointed to Hao. Apparently, he was coming out of his room. Hao released an annoyed grunt.

'What is going on out there?' Ren's voice was heard from the room where Horohoro had just come out from. He slid opened the door and his eyes widened.

'Now that's a rare scene.' He smirked and purposely slid open the door fully. Then Pilica, Jun, Tamao, Chocolove and Lyserg is seen from behind.

They all gasped at what they saw. Yoh turned to his brother. His face was shadowed by his long hair but his cheeks were visible and it had a slightly pinkish color. He knew his brother must have felt really humiliated right now. In fact, he was probably feeling absolutely mortified. Yoh somehow felt a little guilty. In truth, he was the one who came up with the idea and he had accidentally said it aloud in front of Anna. Anna then requested the X-Laws and the Patch to help Yoh and of course, none of them had disobeyed the ice queen.

'Silva, let's just finish this quickly.' Yoh told the Patch and he nodded.

They continued walking but this time the pyro shaman was silent.

'Aniki…' he called softly. The older boy didn't respond. Yoh was getting anxious now.

Meanwhile, Hao was feeling humiliated as his pride had been wounded. He was angry but he was too tired to do anything about it. Just a while ago, he had seen his_ precious grandparents _and_ father_, now he would have to see his younger brother's _dearest future wife_. Finally, they arrived in front of a sliding door. Yoh knocked a few times before going into the room. Silva and the others _preferred_ to stay outside of the room and hence, they waited for Yoh outside the door. A few moments later, Yoh opened the door and close it back before turning to face them.

'Anna said she only wants to see Hao so, you guys are dismissed.'

The others sighed in relief and immediately walked away leaving Silva, Yoh and Hao. Silva slowly removed the boy from his shoulders and placed him in a sitting position beside the sliding door before turning to the younger boy.

'Thank you, Silva. Sorry for causing you so much trouble to bring him here.'

'It's fine. Although…' He said and turned to the older boy. Yoh turned to his brother as well and he realized that something was wrong with his brother. He had not realized anything just now because his face had been covered by his hair. Now when he looked at his brother, he realized that his eyes were very distant and he was a little too quiet. He shook his shoulders.

'Aniki…' he called softly. There was no response from him. He tried again.

'Aniki…' he called a little louder. Still, there was no response.

Silva who was watching the scene went towards the two boys. He untied the older twin and touched his forehead for a moment. Yoh turned to Silva and gave him a questioning stare. Just then, the sliding door opened and revealed a fuming Anna.

'Yoh! What took you so long?! You're supposed to bring him inside!' she said angrily.

'Anna, something's wrong with Onii-chan.' he told his fiancée without turning to her.

Anna went and inspected the said boy. For a moment she stared at Hao with an unreadable expression. Her brows furrowed.

SMACK!

'WHAT THE HELL?!' Hao exclaimed and clutched his cheek. Yoh and Silva was totally flabbergasted.

'Aniki!' Yoh called out and went towards his brother who had been thrown sideways by Anna's legendary left slap.

'Bring him inside.' The Itako said and went back into the room.

'Stupid woman.' He muttered under his breath. What was he thinking when he asked her to marry him that time? When he stood up, Yoh abruptly hugged him.

'Aniki, you got me so worried. What happened just now? Was it because of that incident? Why didn't you answer me just now? Can't you hear?'

'We'll talk about that later. Right now I'm dying to leave this place.' Hao replied blandly. Silva stared at the two boys in silent.

'I'll be going then.' Silva suddenly said and Yoh nodded.

* * *

'Eh?' Hao stared at her in confusion. He thought she was planning to warn him to stay away from Yoh like how Yohmei did.

'I said…I want you to work at Funbari Onsen.' Anna said in her usual manner.

'Well I don't want it. I'm not your servant nor slave.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'I don't think you have a choice in this matter.'

'Why are you asking me to work there when you know my presence will definitely cause a lot of trouble? Aren't you worried about Yoh at all?' Hao asked bluntly.

'If you yourself had asked me such a question, then why should I worry?' Anna asked. Hao's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

'Anyway, you're going to work at Funbari Onsen whether you like it or not. That's all for now, you're dismissed.' Anna said and shoved him out of the room.

'_Sigh…_she's as cold as always.' he said as he stood up and dusted off the dirt on his clothing.

* * *

'Onii-chan?'

'Yes?'

'What did _she_ tell you?' Hao immediately knew whom he was referring to.

'It's nothing important. _She_ just told me that I'm going to work at Funbari Onsen whether I like it or not that's all.' He replied nonchalantly.

'Just as I thought…' Yoh grinned sheepishly.

'I really can't imagine how my life would become if I were to live there. She'll probably make me do tons of work.'

'Well, probably. By the way, what happened that time? You were so distant.' Yoh changed the subject.

'Even so, Anna still managed to pull me back to reality.'

'Yeah…as expected of Anna. Still, you haven't answered my questions.'

'I just remembered something of my past that's all.' Hao answered.

'I don't think it's as simple as that.' Yoh retorted. Hao raised an eyebrow.

'How surprising. You're even more intuitive then I had given you credit for…'

'You're not answering my questions Aniki…'

'I don't think you want to know. It was an incident that happened after the tournament.' He replied nonchalantly.

Silence engulfed the two boys. Yoh lowered his head.

'_Sigh_…for the thousandth time, you don't need to feel guilty about it.' He told the younger boy.

'That's why I don't really want to talk about it.' Hao muttered under his breath. He took a sip of tea.

'So what was it about?' Yoh asked surprising the fire shaman. He didn't really expect him to continue with the discussion. To be truthful, he didn't want him to know anything that had happened after the fight especially the time he spent with _them _when he had actually…

_**Lost his memories**_**.**

'Well…I…uh…I forgot.' He said randomly. Yoh blinked for a few moments.

'You're a poor liar Aniki.' Yoh told him and smiled mischievously.

'I'm not lying!'

'Yes you are!'

'No I'm not!'

'Yes you are!'

'NO I'M NOT!'

'Hmph…Fine, if you don't want to tell me, then I'll just tell everyone what happened when we're at the lake.' Yoh lied. He wouldn't do things like that especially when that person was his twin brother.

Hao's eyes widened.

'You wouldn't.' he glared at his younger brother.

'Well, that depends on you.' He said and smiled as evilly as he could muster which again, surprised his twin. That did it.

'Alright, I'll tell you what happened but you must promise me to never tell a single soul.'

'Alright, I promised.' He said. Hao sighed. This is going to be a long day…


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

* * *

'**You wouldn't.' he glared at his younger brother.**

'**Well, that depends on you.' He said and smiled as evilly as he could muster which again, surprised his twin. That did it.**

'**Alright, I'll tell you what happened but you must promise me to never tell a single soul.'**

'**Alright, I promised.' He said. Hao sighed. This is going to be a long day…**

* * *

He stood up and stared at him with such wide eyes that his eyeball was going to pop out of his head any time by now. The others turned and gave the two of them a questioning stare.

'YOU LOST YOUR ME--' Yoh couldn't finish his sentences as his brother clamped his mouth shut with his hand. Hao then quickly pulled him down to his seat.

'You promised _not to tell a single soul_…' Hao hissed in anger.

'Sorry.' He whispered.

'That's not my point. Look around you…' he whispered.

It was then that Yoh realized that everyone's attention was focused on the two of them. He made gestures at them that seemed to usher them to continue with what they're doing.

'Okay, so you actually _lost all your memories_ after the tournament and you just got it back at around two or three weeks ago?! And after your memories recovered you just went and revived all those you've killed before you went to find Opacho and your other comrades?! But how did you even remained alive after the tournament?! I went all out when I attacked you that time.' Yoh whispered so that no one could hear him.

'Yes you did but I managed to survive thanks to my huge amount of mana. Also, I had received help.'

'You received help?'

'You see Yoh, someone found me and they tend to my injuries. When I awoke I realized that I had no memories of my past so they took me in for their own purposes. After living for a month or so, an incident happened and they sort of…I don't know…turn over a new leaf?'

'But if they took you in for their own purposes does that mean they make you work for them like a…slave?'

'Well, I guess you can call it that…'

Silence...

'Anyway, they taught me how to do almost all kinds of stuffs in an _extremely_ proper way. Plus, their trainings were thousand times harsher than Anna's it was insane. You have to work and train till you drop. That explains why I can do house chores now.' Hao continued as he ignored his brother.

'It sounds…pretty frightening.' Yoh laughed nervously.

'Wait till you experienced it yourself…' Hao told the younger boy.

'But then, you can't use your Spirit of Fire right? How did you manage to get back here then?'

'Am I a suspect under interrogation? As far as I know I have already told you things that had happened after the tournament.'

'Right…sorry...' Yoh scratched the back of his head.

'What about you? What did you do after the tournament?' Hao suddenly changed the subject.

'I just did the usual…training…school… more training…'

'Let me guess…Anna wouldn't let you off the hook?'

'Yes…'

They were about to continue when the Hanagumi suddenly appeared and bowed at them.

'Yoh-sama and Hao-sama, Anna-sama wants to see the both of you.' Kanna said in her usual manner.

Hao turned to his younger brother who just shrugged at him as a reply.

'Where is she?' Yoh asked as the two boys turned their attention to the three girls in front of them.

'She's at the tea room.' Macchi said cheerfully.

'Alright.' Hao said as he stood and walked away.

'Onii-chan, wait for me!' he said as he went to catch up with his brother.

* * *

'They're going to Funbari Onsen?' Yoh gave the Itako a questioning stare.

'Yes. The Tao family, the Diethel family, the X-Laws and our family will be all be staying there for a little while longer before returning so you all have better treat them well or else...you'll have me to answer to…' Anna said in her usual cold manner.

They are currently having a meeting where only all the future workers of Funbari Onsen are involved. Anna had previously shoved out Horohoro, Chocolove, Pilica, Jun, and Ren from this room. Right now, only those that are involved were inside the room.

'What about the Patch officials?' Yoh suddenly asked.

'They'll be going back to America. They prefer to stay in touch with the Great Spirits in case anything unusual happened.'

'Oh…'

'Also, from today onwards Hao and the Hanagumi will be working with us in Funbari Onsen.' She turned to the aforementioned and gave them their list of work. Hao's list was unusually longer than the girls as the paper's length had reached the floor and continued rolling. As soon as he got the list he immediately analyzed the list.

'A-Anna, isn't Aniki's list of work a little too…long?'

'Well, since he's the strongest shaman in the world, it shouldn't be a problem. Right Hao?' she purposely asked the boy.

'Sure. Although…' Hao stared at the Itako.

'Although what?' Yoh interrupted.

'Instead of writing such a long list of work, why don't you just tell me I'll have to help everyone with their work?'

Silence engulfed them as the question was left hanging in the air.

'You have to help EVERYONE with their work?!' all those that were in the room exclaimed in surprise.

Yoh snatched the list of work from his brother's hands.

_-Help Ryu in the kitchen._

_-Help Faust in medication stuff._

_-Help the Hanagumi with the house chores._

_-Help Yoh with training._

_Etc…_

Those are some of the tasks written in the list. All of it consists of the word 'help'.

'A-A-Anna, even if Aniki was the strongest shaman in the world that doesn't mean he should help EVERYONE with their work…I mean, he still a human…' Yoh told his fiancee. The Itako gave him a withering glare and the boy cringed in fear.

'It's fine Otouto. It's not like I've never done this before. Plus, I won't be going to school and I'll only be doing most of the task _if_ my assistance is really necessary.' He told his younger brother.

'I guess…' he stared at his brother warily.

'Also, he will be going for training together with you.' Anna continued.

'He's already the strongest shaman in the world. Why does he need to train?'

'To prevent you from slacking and since I could sense your whereabouts easily, she could always ask me to look for you when you slack off.' Hao told the confused boy.

'Plus, I will be increasing your training three times so if he were to be with you he can always carry you home if you were to faint from exhaustion.' Anna continued.

'T-T-THREE TIMES?!' Yoh exclaimed.

SMACK!

'Yes Anna….' stream of tears rolled down his reddened cheek.

'So, when will they be going to Funbari?' Ryu interrupted. Anna turned to him and for a moment she said nothing.

'Tonight…' Anna told them.

* * *

Hao slide open the wooden door to his younger brother's room.

'Are you done with the packing?' he asked the younger boy.

'Almost…' he said as he tried to zip his luggage with difficulty. Hao sighed and went to help. Unlike Yoh, he did it with ease.

'There…all done.' Hao said and lifted the luggage off the ground. Yoh grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

'We should get going now. We wouldn't want Anna to get angry for waiting too long.' The older twin said and went out of the room with the luggage in his right hand and a small bag in his left. The other twin followed from behind. As Hao was walking, Yoh suddenly focused his gaze on the bag in the older boy's hand.

'**Now that I thought about it, where did that bag come from? Aniki didn't take anything when he came here…**' Yoh thought to himself. Somehow it looks so familiar…

'It's the present you gave me yesterday. I haven't got the time to open it so I just kept it in the bag.' Hao answered.

'Oh…' Yoh grinned. He had forgotten that he was the one who gave it to him.

They had already arrived at the gate without knowing and everyone was busy placing their luggage in the car boot. Hao passed the luggage to Ryu who then placed it inside the boot on one of the car. Yoh then forcefully pushed him inside the car and went in after him. Once all of them were ready to go, they set off to Funbari altogether.

* * *

The wooden door slid open revealing a woman and a little girl at the age of four to five.

'We're home.' The young girl announced cheerfully and went in followed by her mother.

She went to the hall and saw no one. She exchanged glances with her mother before turning her attention back to the hall. They went to the kitchen and saw no one as well. The girl was about to yell out loudly when she heard a loud '_ITAI!!!'_. Apparently, the noise came from the garden. The girl and the mother ran out of the kitchen and saw three people-two of them were adults while the other one was a teenager. The teenage girl has long blond hair which is tied up in French braid style. The older girl has brownish hair tied up in a pigtail at the left side of her head. Meanwhile, the boy had short brownish hair and he was struggling to stand as the girl with brownish hair was lying on top of him.

'You're both done already?' the teenage girl said in a mocking tone as she crossed her hands over her chest.

'Yukino-chan, you're too strict on us...We're not so strong like Yuu-kun…' the girl said childishly despite her elderly figure.

'K-Kaoru, get…off me…you're…heavy…' the boy told the girl with brownish hair.

'Sorry, Shinichi-kun…' she said and removed herself from the boy.

'Training again?' the mother interrupted. All three of them shifted their attention on the mother and the little girl. The girl who went by the name Yukino immediately straightened herself and bowed at the two.

'Welcome back Mistress Sayuri and welcome back Miss Sara. I'm sorry to have not noticed your arrival beforehand. Please forgive me for my impoliteness.' the blond girl said politely. All of them gave her a questioning stare. The woman smiled and went towards the girl. She patted her on the head.

'You don't need to be so polite Yukino-chan, just address us by our names. We're a family now. Have you forgotten?' she said softly.

Yukino's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She was no longer a servant of the family ever since_ that_ incident happened.

'S-Sorry.'

'Well, I guess it can't be helped. You've been serving us for years after all.' Sayuri told her.

'So, did you find him?' Sara suddenly interrupted. All attentions were then focused on the girl. For a moment there was silence.

'No, we didn't. Otou-sama had decided to move on to our next location since we couldn't find him here in Izumo.' Shinichi responded and Kaoru nodded in agreement.

'I see… Well then, where are we going next?' Sayuri asked.

'Funbari.' All three of them answered.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

* * *

'**So, did you find him?' Sara suddenly interrupted. All attentions were then focused on the girl.**

'**No, we didn't. Otou-sama had decided to move on to our next location since we couldn't find him here in Izumo.' Shinichi responded and Kaoru nodded in agreement.**

'**I see… Well then, where are we going next?' Sayuri asked.**

'**Funbari.' All three of them answered.**

* * *

'Ring!!!!!!!'

The alarm clock in his room rang so loudly it could have awoken the dead. Yoh stirred in his futon for a moment and he reach out his hand to locate for his alarm and turned it off. He continued to sleep. He heard the noise of his sliding door being slid open but paid no attention to it.

'Yoh-sama! Wake up!' Opacho said as she went towards the sleeping boy.

'Mmphh…_snores_…'

'No! Yoh-sama has to wake up now! Wake up! Wake up!'

'Just 10 more minutes Opacho…'

'No! Yoh-sama! Wake up or Hao-sama will get angry!'

'…_snores_…_snores_…'

* * *

He ran down the stairs hastily as he tied his hair. He went into the kitchen and saw Hao washing the dishes while Opacho and Anna were eating with the others. Anna who was eating immediately gave him a death glare and he cringed in fear. Opacho and the others stared at him worriedly. Hao immediately turned off the tap and turned to Yoh. He was wearing the same attire as Yoh and his hair was tied up in a ponytail. He wasn't wearing his earrings and gloves.

'S-Sorry I'm late.' Yoh told the two. Hao gave him an unreadable expression while Anna continued to glare at him.

'Finish up your lunch. We'll start training after that.' Hao said and Yoh sighed in relief. He sat down at the table and began eating.

A few days had passed ever since Yoh returned from Izumo. Hao was now living/working with them. Meanwhile, Luchist and Opacho wanted to stay close to their master so they both shifted in as well. However, they would have to help the Itako in Funbari Onsen just like Hao. Early in the morning before Yoh had awoken, Hao will be doing training to be ahead of time. After that, he would be helping the others with their work. Surprisingly, he had no problem in handling all the assignments Anna had given him. Most of his former enemies have come to accept him and he seemed to get along well with everyone especially Silva, Lyserg and the iron maiden other than Yoh.

Today, Hao was going to replace Anna in training Yoh because she said wasn't feeling really well and she wanted to take a break. In truth, she only wanted to see whether Hao qualified to be his fiancée's second trainer or not. Although, this would probably be the first and the last time she was going to let him after seeing him so lenient towards Yoh. Hao wiped his hands with a dry cloth as he politely asked Ryu to finish his work for him. Then, he walked towards the table where Yoh is sitting.

SMACK!

'Ouch! What was that for?!' Yoh asked his brother. Hao glared at him.

'Oversleeping. You're supposed to be training now. If you're my allies, I would have considered burning you into crisp or slash you with my katana you lazy boy.' The pyro shaman said angrily.

'I said I'm sorry…' Yoh whined at his brother. Hao scowled at him.

'Sorry doesn't change anything. It's already 6.30 in the morning. You've already missed two and a half hours of practice.'

'It's just two hours…' Yoh gave him a puppy face.

'JUST TWO HOURS?!' Hao raised his voice. He sighed exasperatedly.

'**It's no use arguing with him…' **Hao thought to himself.

'J-Just finish off your breakfast!' Hao growled.

He went to sit at another table that was placed in the room. (Due to too many guests, they had added in a few tables in the room.) He took the newspaper that Lyserg's father had just finished reading and start reading its content. Meanwhile, Yoh continue with his eating.

* * *

'_Gasp_…_gasp_…_gasp_…A-Aniki... _gasp_…I'm tired…_gasp_….give me… _gasp_… a…_gasp_…break…' Yoh said between gasps as his breathing was uneven.

He had been training for four hours straight as a punishment. This time however, he didn't run 100 laps or do his usual push-ups. This time he was fighting a one-on-one battle and the opponent is none other than Hao. Again, Hao had gained the upper hand without breaking a sweat and also using Ryu's wooden sword instead of his katana. Not to mention he fought without using an oversoul as well.

'No.' Hao bluntly replied.

'But…_gasp_…I'm…_gasp_ …too…_gasp_…tired…' he said and finally fainted. His oversoul then dissipated.

'Yoh-dono!' Amidamaru exclaimed as he stared warily at his fainted master.

Hao sighed and lowered the wooden sword he was holding. He went towards his younger twin and carried him back into the house. The samurai spirit floated behind him.

'Maybe I was a little too hard on him…' he muttered to no one in particular and sighed. He didn't expect for an answer but he got one.

'I think Yoh is not strong enough to endure it that's all.' a cold voice replied. Hao knew that voice all too well. He turned to the source of the voice.

'Is there anything I can do for you Anna-san?' Hao asked the Itako.

'Yohmei and Kino-sensei would like to meet you. They're in the tea room. Make sure you go there alone.' She emphasized on the word 'alone'.

'I'll be there in a few minutes.' Hao said and went up the stairs all the while still carrying his unconscious little brother.

Anna stared at him with her usual cold expression as he walked up the stairs followed by Amidamaru. A few moments later, he returned alone and walked pass the Itako who was still standing on the same spot as before. As he walked away from her, she abruptly turned and followed him from behind. After a long while of silence, Hao asked the Itako a question.

'Is it that personal that even you have to follow me as if I'm a prisoner?' Hao asked suddenly.

'Don't take it the wrong way Hao. I'm just following orders from them.' The ice queen said coldly.

They arrived at the door and Hao went into the room. Kino gave nod at Anna and she closed the door behind the pyro shaman. She stood outside the room preventing anyone from either eavesdropping or entering.

'Have a seat.' Mikihisa told the boy.

The boy stared at them suspiciously. Wasn't it supposed to be only him and the Asakura's? Why were the X-Laws in this room as well?

'We don't intend to have an argument or a fight if not necessary so please, just sit down will you?' Yohmei said coldly.

'Sure.' He said casually even though he didn't let down his guard.

He had said _if not necessary_. Plus, he can't afford to get hurt further. The injury he received from the shaman fight and his former enemies in Izumo hadn't even recovered yet. Seeing no other option, Hao decided that it was better for him to just oblige. He sat at the only seat left which was just one step in front of him. They were silent as they stared at each other for long moments.

'Hao…' Yohmei finally broke the silence.

'We would like to ask you to--'

'--leave Yoh as soon as possible. We do not welcome a demon like you being near with Yoh.' Hao finished Yohmei's sentence.

Things had gone exactly the way he had been expecting. They definitely won't let him stay with Yoh for long and he had always known it. He didn't plan to stay with him for long as well for he knew he would have to risk his twin's life if they were to be together. He didn't want to admit it but deep in his heart, he really didn't want Yoh to suffer. He knew it and that is why there were times when he gets infuriated and lose his cool. One of those times was when he had fell into Yoh's trap (refer to chapter 6) while the other was when he was about to left Yoh but ended up nearly hurting the younger boy physically. (Refer to chapter 9) Asakura Hao had never been that caring towards anyone but his faithful companion, Opacho. Yet he cared for him. Not as his other half of his soul, but as a twin…

'You don't need to worry Asakura Yohmei. As I have told you I will leave when the right time comes. Is that all you want to tell me?'

There were silence as the X-Laws stared at the fire shaman unbelievingly. How could the great Asakura Hao agreed to something so easily? They would have done that in the past if they knew he was actually that easy to be negotiated. Still, they remained silent out of respect for the Asakura.

'We want you to leave immediately. I don't want you to be poisoning my grandson's mind. Get out of his life and never come back. We don't give a damn about you. I don't care where you go as long as you stay away from Yoh.' Yohmei said coldly.

Hao sighed and stood up.

'Fine. I'll leave but in case you don't know, it takes time for me to pack my stuff.'

'Then make it quick.' Yohmei told him. The boy was about to walk out of the room when he suddenly stopped.

'Ah…I almost forgot to warn you, since I'll be leaving this place, remind Yoh to not leave the house alone for if you don't do that…you'll definitely regret it.'

'What are you talking about?!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'Just tell him this, don't go out alone or you'll be the next _one_. That is all for me to tell. The others are for you to figure it out yourself.' He said and left.

* * *

'Where's Aniki?' Yoh suddenly asked all those who was in the living room. He hadn't seen him at all after he had regained his consciousness. They were silent as the question was left hanging in the air. Yoh almost thought he won't be getting an answer when someone suddenly interrupted from behind.

'He left already.' Yohmei told his grandson.

'What?' Yoh turned to them. He thought he had misheard.

'Like what your grandfather said, he already left.' Kino said.

Silence…

'HE ALREADY LEFT?! WITHOUT EVEN A WORD?!' Yoh exclaimed.

'Calm down Yoh. I was the one who shoved him off.' Yohmei spoke calmly.

'WHAT?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!'

'It's for your own good! You would have lived a better life without him!'

However, his grandson already walked away from the place and was now wearing his sandals at the entrance. Just then the entrance door slid open revealing Mikihisa and Keiko.

'Yoh, where are you going?' Mikihisa suddenly asked.

'Mikihisa stop him! He's going to find that demon!' Yohmei shouted.

'HE IS NOT A DEMON! HE IS MY BROTHER! DON'T CALL HIM THAT!' Yoh said and quickly shove his parents out of the way before they could stop him.

'I'M GOING TO FIND HIM! I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH HIM!' he said and ran out of the house only to be attacked by a demon that appeared out of nowhere.

'Yoh!' all of them exclaimed in unison.

The demon had a pattern and a talisman in the middle of his body. It's the exact the same pattern as the other demon he had encountered at his home in Izumo. The demon attacked the boy but he managed to dodge it in time.

'Yoh, catch!' Mikihisa called out.

He turned to his father who immediately threw his katana and Futsu no Mitama at him. As he was about to catch his sword, the demon charged at him causing him to be thrown sideways. The katana dropped on the floor. The demon attacked him again and he dodged its attack once again. After that he quickly ran and grabbed his weapon.

'Amidamaru! Oversoul! Spirit of Sword!'

He ran straight towards the demon and charged at him but before his oversoul could touch the demon it was already nullified. His eyes widened. The demon attacked him and he lost his grip on his katana as he fell on the floor. The demon charged and gave him his final blow.

'YOH!!!' all of them exclaimed in a panicking tone.

Yoh closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack.

_One minute later..._

Yoh opened one of his eyes when he felt nothing and the first thing he saw was the demon's hand almost reaching his body. He opened both of his eyes and he realized that the demon had been stationary all the while. Suddenly, it was consumed by blue-colored flames and it began to topple down. Coincidentally, Yoh was just underneath him.

'WAHHHH!!!' Yoh exclaimed and rolled away from the burning demon.

'I told you, don't let him leave the house alone or he'll be the next _victim_.' A deep voice said. Yoh turned and saw his brother with small blue-colored fireballs around him. He didn't look really happy at the moment.

'HAO! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!'

'If I weren't here then your grandson should have been dead by now Yohmei.' He said in an unusually cold voice and the fireballs around him deflagrated. Yohmei fell silent.

'ANIKI! I HAD A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!'

'You can pick all you want but I'm not going to argue with you. Plus, there is already a lot of bone right beside you.' Hao told his younger brother.

'THAT'S! NOT! THE POINT!' Yoh said angrily.

'Anyway, now that I'm done I'll be going.' He said and slowly walked away.

'WAIT! ANIKI!' Yoh stood up but fell down on the floor. Keiko and Mikihisa ran towards him. Hao halted his movement.

'Your bone has been dislocated. You shouldn't move so much.' he told him without turning to face him.

'Why? Why can't you stay with me? Aren't we brothers?'

Hao remained silent for a moment before he answer his younger twin's question.

'Yes, we are brothers. Not to mention we're both twins. Even so, I still can't stay with you...' he said softly.

**[I'm sorry Otouto.]** He thought to his younger brother and disappeared in a lick of flames.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

* * *

'**Why? Why can't you stay? Aren't we brothers?'**

'**Yes, we are brothers. Not to mention we're both twins. Even so, I still can't stay with you…' **

_**[I'm sorry Otouto.]**_** He thought to his younger brother and disappeared in a lick of flames.**

* * *

A few weeks had passed by after Hao had left. The X-Laws, the Diethels, and the Tao's had returned to their homeland a few days after the incident. Chocolove and Horohoro went back to their respective homeland as well leaving only the Asakura family. They decided to stay to keep an eye on Yoh. Unlike the last time when Hao left, he was still his cheerful self and it was extremely creepy in their opinions even though he had went out of the house early in the morning and returned late at night then ended up being scolded. He wasn't even depressed at all. It was as if Hao's leaving was a good thing. When they asked him whether he was sad about the fire shaman leaving, he would always smile and say…

'Don't worry. Everything will work out the way it should be.'

Today he was going for his usual training. Manta and Amidamaru was accompanying him. Manta stared at his best friend warily. Yoh realized it and smiled back at him.

'Yoh-kun, are you really alright?' Manta asked finally. Yoh stopped walking and blinked at the boy.

'Of course. Why did you say that?' Yoh asked clueless about what his friend was trying to tell him.

'It's not what I meant…I-It just that…Hao…aren't you worry about him? I mean we haven't seen him for a week.' Manta told him. Yoh stared at him in shock for a moment.

'Oh…so you're worried about Aniki…' Yoh said teasingly.

'W-What?! No, I did not!'

'You said 'we' didn't you?'

Manta fell silent. He didn't want to admit it but a part of him somehow did worry about Yoh's twin brother.

'That's very kind of you Manta.'

Yoh continued with his run. Manta followed him in silent. Out of the corner of Yoh eyes, he could see the weariness that dwells in his friends eyes. He didn't know whether he should tell the boy about it. He turned to Amidamaru who smile and nodded reassuringly. A smile creased his lips and he went to pull Manta's hand.

'Yoh-kun, what are you doing?' he stared at him questioningly.

'You'll find out soon enough.'

* * *

'Yoh-kun, mind to ask why are we in a forest?'

'I'll explain it later. Right now just make sure you hold my hand tight or else you'll be lost.' He said as he lead the boy through the forest. His spirit followed them from behind.

Suddenly, small fireballs appeared in all direction. The flames merge together and engulfed a part of the forest that was in front of them.

'Wahhhh! Fire!' Manta exclaimed and ran away releasing his grip on Yoh's hand.

'Manta! Wait!'

The flames spread quickly and formed a circle of flames around them.

'Wahhhh! We're going to die!'

Manta ran frantically around the circle of fire. Yoh chased him from behind followed by Amidamaru. Finally, he caught his hand but the boy struggled to break free from his grip.

'Manta please, calm down. It won't do us any harm.' Yoh said calmly. Manta stopped struggling and the flames abruptly disappeared. No damage was done anywhere. It was as if it had never happened in the first place. Manta stared at the forest disbelievingly.

'B-But how did--'

'It's just an illusion Manta. It's a trap used to prevent intruders in the forest.'

'Eh?!'

'I'll explain all this later. Right now we need to get through this forest first.' Yoh told him and began to lead him through the forest.

After 10 to 20 minutes later, they arrived at a staircase leading to a shrine. Yoh went in through the torii followed by Amidamaru while Manta stopped before the torii to get the full view of the shrine. Yoh turned to Manta who was too busy focusing his gaze around the place and smiled. He went towards him and pulled him in by the hand. As the two of them walk, Manta's gaze travelled all over the place. Judging by the features of this shrine it must have been a very old and traditional shrine. Even so, it looked as good as a newly built shrine. The caretaker of this shrine has done a great job maintaining this place. There were cherry blossoms tree planted here and there and lanterns with star emblem were hung all over the place including the entrance that they had previously passed through. Yoh stopped abruptly causing the small boy to accidentally bump into him. He stared forward and saw Luchist but Yoh immediately pushed him behind his back.

'Don't speak first.' Yoh whispered to the small boy.

'Yoh-sama, when did you arrive?' Luchist asked not noticing the presence of the small boy behind.

'A few minutes ago, what are you doing here Luchist?'

'I was going to have some tea. Would you like to join me?'

'Sure. Can he join in as well?' Yoh said and step aside revealing Manta. Luchist stared at Manta in surprise before turning back to Yoh with a wary expression.

'Don't worry Luchist. He is a trustworthy friend.' Yoh said and smiled reassuringly. Luchist continued to stare at Manta for a few moments. Manta smiled at him nervously.

'Since Yoh-sama said so, it shouldn't be a problem.' Luchist told them.

'Thank you Luchist.'

Luchist said nothing and walked away. Yoh and Manta followed from behind while Amidamaru floated beside Yoh in spiritual ball mode.

They walk and arrived at a huge mansion that was just behind the shrine. They went into the dining room and Luchist gestured for them to have a seat.

'Well then, I shall inform Hao-sama of your arrival.' Luchist stood up and went out of the room.

'What?! H-Hao is here?!' Manta exclaimed earning another surprised glance from Luchist. He turned to Yoh who gestured for him to leave. He nodded and went out of the room.

'Well, since you were really worried, I thought I could make things easier by bringing you here. Since we're here, might as well I explain everything to you Manta.'

'Didn't I tell you that outsiders aren't allowed in here?' a deep voice interrupted them.

They both turned and saw Hao leaning on the door. He was wearing a white kimono with blue colored patterns at the bottom. Yoh had the feeling that he had been there already even before Luchist went out the room. Luchist and Opacho were standing behind him while Matamune was floating beside him in spiritual ball mode. Hao went in and took a seat followed by Luchist and Opacho. When he had made himself comfortable, he turned to his younger brother.

'Do you know the risk of bringing an outsider here?' he asked the younger boy. The tone of voice he used was unusually cold.

'Yes.' Yoh answered. Hao turned to Manta who gave him a confused look.

'Is he really worth our trust Yoh?' he asked surprising his twin. He thought he was going to end up in an argument just for the sake of convincing his brother. Hoa read his mind and sighed.

'I don't have that much time to argue with you and also, what that had happened already happened so there is nothing I can do about it. Therefore, I'll have to accept it whether I like it or not. Yoh, I'm asking you for the last time, is. he. really. worth. our. trust?' Hao asked.

'Yes.' Yoh replied almost immediately. Hao turned to Manta.

'Otouto haven't told you anything yet was I correct, Oyamada-san?' Hao asked the small boy who nodded in response.

'Alright, we will both sort out the things to you but in one condition, we need you to keep all this as a secret from everyone especially the Asakura family. Think you can do that?'

'Yes.' Manta answered.

'Well then, let's get started.' Yoh told the two.

* * *

'_Sigh_…He's late again.' Anna said as she crossed her arms over her chest. She had been waiting at the doorstep for hours but Yoh was still nowhere to be seen. She was about to leave when the door suddenly slid open. She quickly turned but to her dismay it was Keiko who slid open the door. She sighed.

'Yoh hasn't returned yet?' Keiko asked. Anna nodded in response.

The door suddenly slid open again and revealed Manta and Yoh. Manta was holding two bags on his hands.

'We're--Eh? Mom, Anna what are you two doing here?' Yoh asked surprised.

'Where were you?! You've got us all worried sick!'

'I'm really sorry Anna. I went to the mall with Manta and I saw this.' Yoh grinned as he digged into his pocket and held out a small box towards Anna. Yoh opened the box revealing a silver bracelet with apple shaped beads around it.

'It's for you. I hope you liked it.' Yoh scratched the back of his head as he blushed. Anna remained silent for a moment. She slowly took the box from his hands and turned away from Yoh.

'I'll still double your training since you made me wait.' Anna said and walked away. As she closed the door of her room, a smile curved her lips as she looked at the box she was holding.

'Thank you, Yoh.' She whispered silently.

* * *

Yoh blinked as Anna walked away from him without saying anything. Keiko smiled in amusement watching his son's behavior towards the Itako. Yoh turned to Manta earning a shrug from him. He then walked in and went into the living room only to find all of them at the door smiling mischievously at him.

'What are you doing?' Yoh asked even though he already knew why. Their smile grew wider and he began to blush. Manta and Keiko exchanged glances before smiling at Yoh.

'All right boys, run along now. I'll be preparing dinner then.' Keiko said and walked away.

'Mind if I help?' Manta asked.

'Thank you for your kindness but I don't think I need extra help.' Keiko said and went into the kitchen where Yohmei, Kino and Mikihisa were sitting on the dining table.

'Yoh, has he returned?' Yohmei asked. He held a severe and anxious expression.

'Yes, Otou-san.'

'I guess it's time for us to tell Yoh already.'

* * *

'Manta will be staying over for the night?! How come I wasn't invited?' Horohoro told his friend.

'Well…I don't think Pilica-san will let you for sure so…'

'I understand…' Horohoro said as streams of tears ran down his face.

'Baka.' Ren muttered.

As Yoh was about to try and comfort him, someone called him from behind.

'Yoh. Jii-san would like to talk to you.' Anna interrupted. Yoh blinked.

'Ok.' He said cheerfully and went into the kitchen.

* * *

When he arrived, he saw the expression they held and the atmosphere around the room. He swallowed his nervousness down his throat as he went and took a seat. There was a long silence between them.

'Yoh.' Yohmei finally broke the silence.

'Yes?' Yoh answered cheerfully even though he was anxious.

'Umm…you see…we have been discussing a lot lately…and we've decided to…to…'

Yohmei couldn't continue further. His expression became more and more anxious with each passing second. He didn't know how the boy would react. Even so, he had to tell him. With all his courage he could gain, he continued with his speech.

'We've decided that you should come back to Izumo and live with us.'

Yoh's smiled faded immediately.

'Why? Is there something wrong?' Yoh asked.

'No. It's just that…'

'We don't want you to be so far from us since Hao's whereabouts was not known. That's why we want you to return. It will also be easier for us to keep an eye on you.' Mikihisa continued.

'No.' Yoh replied.

'What?!' Yohmei was really shocked that he had answered so quickly.

'Don't worry. I'll be fine here. After all, Hao is harmless and plus, if he wanted to kill me he would have done it in Izumo. Moreover, Horohoro always visits us here and there is Manta and Re--' he was abruptly cut off by his grandfather.

'Hao is the world's strongest shaman! How could you say he's harmless?! You and your friends don't even stand a chance against him!' Yohmei raised his voice.

'What I know is that he won't do any harm against us Ojii-chan.'

'No. You must not believe him Yoh. He cannot be trusted. Right now he is probably planning on how to take revenge on you.'

'Even so, I don't want to go back. I'm not ready to return yet.'

He had finally got the opportunity to become brothers with Hao and his family was going to snatch it away from him just like that? No way he was going to let something like this to happen. Of course, Manta and Amidamaru were the only ones who knew about it other than Luchist, Matamune and Opacho. He really wanted to tell them that everyday he was spending time with his brother. However, if they were to knew about it, they would definitely went to find Hao. That's why he had not told them anything yet. They were important to him but Hao was as important as them in Yoh's heart. That's why, he would do anything to continue to be brothers with Hao even if it means hiding it from them.

'I won't let you. You're going home whether you like it or not!'

'But I don't want to leave Funbari!' Yoh raised his voice as well which surprises everyone in the room.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

* * *

'**But I don't want to go back. I'm not ready to return yet.'**

'**I won't let you. You're going home whether you like it or not!'**

'**But I don't want to leave Funbari!' Yoh raised his voice as well which surprises everyone in the room. **

* * *

Meanwhile, Hao was standing at the corridor gazing at the stars. Winds ruffled his long silky hair and the chirping of the crickets can be heard. It was very peaceful and silent until…

'_Fuyuki_.' Hao called out to no one in particular. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared behind him. It was the same silhouette that Hao had talked with when he was in Izumo. (refer to chapter 19)

'What a surprise. It's really unusual for you to call me, _Shiro_. ' The figure said in a voice full of malice.

'I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for _him_. Also, don't call me by _that_ name.' Hao said in a warning tone. The silhouette didn't say anything.

'Anyway, I want you to help me with something.' Hao told the silhouette that was standing behind him.

* * *

Everyone in the room look at the boy in shock. Ever since he was young, he had never protested any of the decision that was made for him. Yet, he just did.

'Whether you like it or not I won't be leaving Funbari.' Yoh told them sternly and slid open the door only to see his friends fell down in front of him. They must have heard him and was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

'Ehehehe…' Horohoro stared nervously at the young Asakura heir. The others stared at him warily but remained silent. Yoh walked pass them without saying anything. He stopped abruptly when he was walking up the stairs.

'I already took my dinner before I return so you don't need to call me for dinner.' He said without turning to them and continued to walk up the stairs. Manta stood up and ran up the stairs trying to catch up with his best friend. Amidamaru floated behind the small boy.

'Don't need to call me dinner as well.' Manta manage to tell them before he disappeared from their sight.

Yoh had went into his room and was about to close the door when someone push open the door from the other side.

'Manta, what's wrong?' he tried to act like nothing had happened but to no avail.

'Can we talk a bit since I don't plan to take dinner as well?' Manta asked. Yoh opened the door and let him in before closing it again and locking it.

'So, what do you want to talk about?'

'Definitely not about what happened just now.' Manta said and Yoh lowered his head.

'It's about when we're in the mall.' Manta said quickly trying to change the subject.

'Oh, that…' Yoh thought back to what happened when they were _together with Matamune, Hao,_ _Opacho and Luchist_ at the mall and a smile curved his lips. Manta felt a little bit more relieved when he saw Yoh smiling. He knew exactly what he was thinking for he was thinking about the same thing.

--Flashback--

'Aniki, why are we at a mall?' Yoh asked his brother.

After having talking for hours, they went to the mall out of Hao's request for god-knows-what reason. They went to grab a bite and Yoh, Hao, and Manta had finished eating earlier than Luchist and Opacho so they went ahead without the two. That was why currently, only the three of them were together. Amidamaru and Matamune were floating beside them in spiritual ball mode. Hao had worn a white-colored-long-sleeved-buttoned-up shirt with a pair of blue jeans. Yoh on the other hand was wearing a new set of clothing which was given by Hao. He now wears a blue colored shirt with a hood on the back and a pair of green trousers.

'To buy gifts.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'Why would you want to buy gifts?' Manta interrupted. Hao turned to Manta.

'It wasn't me who was going to buy gifts, it was Yoh.'

'Huh? Why me?' Yoh asked.

'Well, since you made Anna wait at the door for hours, you should at least buy something for her as an apology…'

Silence engulfed them…

'Anna had been waiting at the door for hours?!' the two exclaimed in unison.

'Calm down. She's just worry about you. After all, you've been returning home late a lot recently. Don't tell her that or she'll double your training.' Hao said in a warning tone.

'Wait, how do you know about that?' Manta asked.

'I am Asakura Hao. I know everything.' Was his reply.

Suddenly, he came to a halt at the entrance of a small shop. They went in and saw many kinds of accessory and clothings and stuff. They stopped in a compartment where there were many girls accessory in it. Hao gestured towards the transparent counter where some bracelets, earrings, and other accessories are placed in it.

'So Yoh, what kinds of things does Anna like? Bracelets or what?'

'Uhhh…I don't really know.'

Silence…

'You don't know what she liked?' Hao asked as he shifted his gaze from the accessories to the younger boy. Yoh shook his head.

'Okay...did you know any other thing that she liked?'

'Ummm…uhhhh…er……'

'Favourite colours…Favourite stuff…anything…' Hao added trying to help his twin.

'Ah! She likes Awaya Ringo!' Yoh finally said. Hao tilted his head.

'What's Awaya Eingo?' Hao asked. Yoh and Manta fell over.

'It's Awaya Ringo, Hao-kun. It's a singer.' Manta explained to the pyroshaman.

'Umm…any other things she liked?'

'Well, that's the only things I know…' Yoh scratched the back of his head.

'Alright, we'll just pick the one with the apple shaped beads then.'

'Okay…'

--End of Flashback--

'You know, he was like…what's Awaya Eingo?' Manta imitated Hao's reaction and Yoh laughed at his best friend. Amidamaru laughed as well.

* * *

'A-choo!' Hao sneezed.

'What's wrong Hao-sama?' Opacho asked.

'It's nothing. Someone must be talking about me…' Hao replied casually.

* * *

'Oh yeah…remember the moment when we're eating ice cream?' Yoh asked.

'Of course, we were all laughing our heads off at that time.' Manta continued. The three started laughing again.

--Flashback--

'Let's go get some ice-cream!' Yoh suddenly said.

'Didn't you say you were _extremely_ full just now?' Hao asked his twin.

'Awww…come on…it's just an ice-cream…pleaseeee…' he gave his brother a puppy look.

'_Sigh_…alright.'

They walked past a few stores together then Yoh and Manta came to a halt in front of an ice-cream shop but Hao had continued walking.

'Aniki, where are you going?' Yoh asked as he stared at his brother who was walking away. Hao turned to his younger twin realizing that they had stopped in front of a shop. He quickly went towards them. Yoh pondered as to why his brother had continued walking and realization dawned upon him.

'Onii-chan…'

'Yes Otouto?'

'Do you actually know what an ice-cream is?'

'Of course I do!' Hao said sternly.

'Really?' Yoh asked.

'Yes.'

'Are you sure?' Yoh asked again. Hao frowned as he read both Yoh and Manta's minds. They already knew the truth and Yoh was questioning him on purpose.

'Fine. I don't know what an ice-cream is and I have never tasted any ice-cream before. Are you happy now?' Hao admitted finally. Manta stared at him in shock. He didn't really think it was possible until he had admitted it himself. Not to mention he was the great Asakura Hao.

'You _don't _know what an ice-cream is and you've _never_ tasted it before? Even though you are one thousand years old already?!' Manta asked. Hao sighed again.

'No. By the way, I'm one thousand and fifteen years old already.'

'Oh…Still, why?'

'That's because I'm one thousand and fifteen years old not five years old.' Hao retorted simply.

'Not anymore. You're in the body of a fifteen year old _boy_ remember?' Manta shot back.

'I'm still one thousand and fifteen.'

'No you're not.'

'Yes, I am.'

'No, you're not.'

'Yes, I am.'

'Nope.'

'Yes.'

'Nope.'

'Yes.'

Matamune and Amidamaru meanwhile were staring at the little argument between Hao and Manta. For the very first time, Amidamaru actually see the fire shaman more as a child rather than a one thousand year old man in the form of a fifteen year old boy. To be precise, it was the first time he had seen a more childish side of him. Just then, Yoh appeared with two cones of ice-cream in his hands.

'Here, it tastes really good.' Yoh told his brother as he handed one of the ice-cream to him and the other one to Manta.

Then, he went and took another ice-cream that was placed on a table nearby and started licking it. Manta did the same and they all stared at Hao waiting for him to taste his ice-cream. Hao eyed the food suspiciously and did something that no one had ever expected him of doing. He bit his ice-cream and swallowed it.

'It's so cold!' Hao coughed.

Manta and Yoh stared at him in utter surprise. They turned to each other and for a moment they remained silent. Suddenly, they burst out laughing like an idiot.

'A-Aniki…y-you don't bite ice-cream and swallow them…you l-licked them…' he managed between chuckles and burst out laughing again. Hao gave them an insulted look and stormed off with Matamune floating behind him.

'A-A-Aniki, wait for us.' He continued to laugh and so did the small boy.

--End of Flashback--

'He just bit the ice-cream and then…and then…he…he just swallowed it…' Manta said and all of them burst out laughing. Yoh smiled at his best friend when he had recovered from his laughing.

'I felt so much better after talking to you. Thanks a lot Manta.'

'Don't thank me. Thank Ha--' before Manta could finish Yoh clamped his mouth shut.

'Just say _him_.' He said and let go of his friend.

'Thank _him_.' Manta emphasized on '_him_'.

When they were about to continue about another funny moments with _him_, they heard a few knocks on the door.

'Yoh, dinner is ready.' Anna's voice is heard from the other side.

'Well, we better get going then. I'm sure Anna won't let us off so easily.' Yoh told Manta who nodded in response. The Asakura's really know how to coerce him to come out of his room.

* * *

'Why are you both not eating your dinner?' Keiko asked Yoh and Manta.

'Actually I've already ate outside with _him_ so we're really not hungry.' Yoh said and turned to Manta who immediately understood who he was referring to.

'Yeah, I ate with _him_.' Manta added smiling.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

* * *

'**Why are you both not eating your dinner?' Keiko asked the Yoh and Manta.**

'**Actually I've already ate outside with **_**him**_** so we're really not hungry.' Yoh said and turned to Manta who immediately understood who he was referring to.**

'**Yeah, I ate with **_**him**_**.' Manta added smiling.**

* * *

'So, he wanted you to return to Izumo?' Hao asked his twin.

'Yeah, but I refused the offer.'

'Why?'

'We're finally able to act like normal siblings so I'm not going to let them take this opportunity away from us just like that. I wanted to spend more time with you but at the same time--.'

'You wanted to tell them about me because you don't want to lie to them, correct?'

'Yeah…' Yoh sighed.

'Yoh!.'

_Clash!_

The edge of Harusame pierced on the ground.

'Ouch!'

'Don't daydream when we're training. I could accidentally hurt you.'

'But you're so strict!!!!' Yoh pouted like a five year old.

'If I don't do that you won't progress Yoh.' Hao told him as he held out a helping hand.

'One last round, then we'll go and get something to eat alright?'

'Really?'

'Yes.'

'Alright!'

Right now, they were training together in a wide grassy land that wasn't very far away from the shrine where Hao resides. As the two trained with each other, everyone had watched them from afar. Since Yoh had been skipping Anna's training, Hao thought he should train him on his own. Unlike Anna, his training weren't as harsh as Anna and he allowed his younger brother more freedom.

'Ahhhhhhhh! A-A-Aniki! Slow down!!!' Yoh cried out as he evaded his attack. Hao's final round is always harsher than usual.

'Then concentrate harder.' Was his reply as he attacked him again with a wooden sword.

'Wahhhhh!' Yoh cried as he turned and ran away from him and into the forest.

Hao sweatdropped and so do the spectators. It was his new tactic to skip Hao's last round of training. He sighed and went towards the audience that had been watching them all the while. They were sitting on the huge rock formation.

'So Hao-kun, what are you going to do now?' Manta asked as he looked down at the long haired shaman.

'We'll find him first then we'll go get something to eat. So, are you coming with us?' Hao asked the boy. He realized that everyone was already standing beside him including Amidamaru.

'Of courseeeeeeeeee! Ahhhhhhhh!' Manta fell from the rock formation.

Hao reacted almost immediately and he jumped high up from the ground. He landed on one of the huge rocks and he jumped swiftly from one rock to another and caught the falling boy before landing gracefully on the ground. The boy's breathing was uneven and his eyes were wide open.

'You shouldn't be so careless you know Oyamada-san. Good thing I caught you in time.' Hao told him. He slowly placed him on the ground and gentle rubbed his back trying to sooth him a little.

After Manta had calmed down, they went to search for Yoh only to find him jumping up and down trying to reach an apple from a huge tree. He turned when he felt their presence.

'Aniki…' Yoh looked at his brother nervously. Manta and the others stared at him warily. He was staring at him with a thoughtful expression. He was probably thinking how to punish the lazy boy. Hao began walking towards his younger brother.

'You want to eat an apple?' Hao asked surprising everyone especially Yoh. Yoh nodded vigorously. He had been jumping all the while trying to reach the apple but to no avail.

Hao nodded and placed down the wooden sword he was holding. At first, he was planning to add another round of training for Yoh but right now he had another plan in his mind…He walked a few steps backwards and Yoh quickly went towards the place where Manta and the others were standing and watched his brother. Hao ran forward and made a jump. He landed on one of the branch and jumped onto a higher branch just like when he was trying to save Manta from falling. He then jumped forward and snatched the apple before landing gracefully on the ground. Yoh stared at his brother awestruck. He quickly ran towards his brother.

'How do you do that?!' he asked. His brother just smiled at him.

'Don't worry, you'll figure it out soon enough.'

'Whatever.' Yoh hated it when his brother refused to tell him things. He took the apple in his brother's hands but before he can take a bite out of it, Hao snatched it back.

'Hey!'

'Now now, I can let you off the hook so easily can I?'

Yoh gulped. This is a bad sign. Hao threw the apple at Manta who immediately caught it.

'This one is for you, Oyamada-san.'

Manta finally understood his plans and he took a bite out of the apple.

'Aniki…' streams of tears rolled down his cheek as he stared at his friend who was eating the apple.

'You'll have to get one on your own.' Hao said and he went to get another five more apples. He passed it to everyone except for Amidamaru who couldn't catch it. Hence, he gave it to Luchist who offered the apple to Amidamaru so that he can eat with them as well.

'Aniki, what about me…' streams of tears rolled down his cheek as he stared at those that were eating apples.

'Since you escaped the final round of my training, _this_ is your punishment.' Hao said and took a bite out of his apple.

'But--'

'It will be a harmless training so I see no problem with that. Plus, you'll get something to eat so it's like hitting two birds with one stone.'

'I can't jump that high!'

'Well, if I can then that means you can as well.'

* * *

'Waaaaa……' Yoh wailed with tears running down his cheek like twin waterfalls.

'Come on Yoh, try harder. It's only been 15 minutes.'

He was really hungry but his brother refused to let him off the hook. He had tried everything he could think of. He had tried using the method Hao had used but he could not reach any of the apples at all for he couldn't jump as high as his brother. He then threw Harusame which ended up stuck between branches. Lastly, he tried to climb the tree but had given up later on.

The reason is really simple.

His leg had been stuck between the branches of the tree trunk.

He could not climb up nor could he climb down. That was why he was now hugging the tree as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

'But I'm starvingggggg!!!!! And my leg got stuck!!!!' he continued wailing and crying. Hao heaved a sigh. He knelt down and reached his hand towards him. He had been standing on top of a branch waiting for his brother to climb up but it seems like it was going to be impossible.

'Alright, I'll help you but just a little.'

'Promise?'

'_Sigh_…Yes.'

Firstly, Hao teaches Yoh on how to land on the ground from a high place. Then, he slowly teaches him how to make a jump that was high enough to reach the apple. Finally, Yoh had succeeded with Hao's guidance.

'Aniki! I did it!' Yoh exclaimed with joy as he took a bite out of his apple.

'Now that we're finally done, we should get going. They are about to starve to death.'

Finally granted with a break, they all went to a ramen shop and was greeted by a kind looking old woman. As they ate, they chatted among each other about many things mostly about shamanism. Yoh felt contented for he was able to chat with his brother like how many siblings do and he wished that it would never end. However, his happiness didn't last very long. Someone entered the store and Yoh felt the urge to turn and looked at who was coming. He followed his instincts and turned only to meet with many curious yet furious gazes on them. Hao turned as well and his eyes narrowed. Manta, Opacho and Luchist stared at the Asakura twins warily.

It was the Asakura family that had come. Anna and Tamao were there as well.

There was pure silence as they stared at each other with confusing eyes. Yoh was surprised to see both his parents and grandparents and he knew they were the thinking same. Hao meanwhile was having a staring contest with Yohmei. Hao simply stared at him with a blank expression while Yohmei glared at him with fury and hatred. Then, Hao just continued to eat his ramen like nothing had happened. Yoh blinked while Manta and the others stared at him with a surprised look. Yoh then followed his brother and ate his ramen as well and all of them exchanged glances before continued eating. Yohmei and the other Asakura members walked towards another table all the while non-stop gazing at the long haired boy. As Yoh was eating with his brother he could felt that their gazes were still focused on them but he chose to ignore them seeing that his brother had paid no attention to it. He knew he would be in big trouble once he got back home.

After that, both Yoh and Hao decided to go to the mall for god-know-what-reason and Manta and the others decided to just follow them and they were now on the way there with the Asakura's tailing them from behind. Both twins walked slowly and calmly as they remained silent on the way. Once in a while, Manta would take a quick glance at the Asakura's that were following them from behind.

'Yoh-kun, they are still following us.'

'I know…'

After 20 to 30 minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of the mall. The mall was really crowded and many people were going in and out of the mall. As soon as Manta stepped into the mall, Yoh carried him up while Hao carried Opacho up and the two broke into a run with their guardian spirits floating behind them. The Asakura's immediately chased after the two. Luchist meanwhile stood at the entrance rooted on the spot.

'Yoh-kun!'

'Sorry Oyamada-san, this was the most crowded place that we could think of to escape from them. Plus, we don't want to fight.' Hao told him as they both ran up the escalator pushing people on the way.

'Bear with us Manta!' Yoh said and the two went ran towards the auditorium and glide their way into the crowd.

The Asakura's lost sight of them as it was too crowded and their heights had hid them from easily being seen. Meanwhile, Manta and Opacho slowly crawl out of the crowd followed by Yoh and Hao. Then, they twins carried the smaller child behind their backs and sprinted off from the crowded place before running inside a shop. Mikihisa saw the running boys and recognized Yoh's training attire. He ran towards that direction followed by Keiko. They ran past an extremely tall man with moustache who pointed to the left direction and ran following the direction. Suddenly, Mikihisa came to a stop and turned to the direction where he had seen the tall man. The tall man had become short and the coat he was wearing was way too big for his size and Hao was running beside him with the hat of the tall man on his head and Opacho sitting on his shoulders. The tall man who had become short turned and they saw Manta who was sitting on Yoh shoulders underneath the coat. In other words, Mikihisa and Keiko got tricked. They both ran towards the boys who took a turn at the corner. They took a turn at the corner and both Yoh and Hao was nowhere to be seen. They stood on the same spot and their gaze travelled all over the place searching for the boys.

Suddenly, Mikihisa saw two children at the higher floor. He pointed towards that direction and Keiko followed the direction of his fingers. They were up there running into the car parking lot via the entrance. They ran up the escalator and chased after the boy. They halted when they arrived at the entrance and looked everywhere for the boys. They found them and ran towards their direction and thus caught them.

'Caught you.' Mikihisa said and they both turned the two boys to face them only to meet with another person.

'MOMMY!' both of them exclaimed.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

* * *

'**Caught you.' Mikihisa said and they both turned the two boys to face them only to meet with another person.**

'**MOMMY!' both of them exclaimed.**

At the exit of the mall, the twins ran out with Opacho and Manta. They ran to a park nearby and the younger twin sat on the bench with Manta and Opacho.

'Whew…that was close.' Yoh told his brother as he gasped for air.

'Real close I have to say.' Hao patted him on the back trying to sooth him a little. He wasn't even breaking a sweat after the long run.

'And I thought we're gonna get caught but it was the other way round.' Manta said and they burst out laughing.

'Yeah, and I got this as well.' Yoh held out a small film strip with their pictures on it.

When they took a turn at the corner, Yoh caught a glimpse of a photo booth and he pulled his brother into the booth to take a few pictures. When they got out of the booth, they saw Keiko and Mikihisa running to the parking lot and they took the opportunity to escape from the mall.

'Now that they are gone, let's go get some snacks.' Yoh said and they all agreed. Just then, a car speed towards and stopped in front of them. Mikihisa and Keiko got out of the car and pulled Yoh into the car with Manta before speeding off.

'Yoh!' Hao exclaimed and ran after a car but another car stopped him. He recognized the car very well.

'Hao-sama, get in!' Luchist called after his master who immediately went into the car.

* * *

'What are you doing?! Aniki!' Yoh yelled frantically as he turned to stare at the car behind but was being pulled back to his seat by Keiko.

'Yoh, that demon had poisoned your mind!' Yohmei yelled at his grandson.

'He's not a demon! Don't call him that!' Yoh shot back.

'What did that demon do to you?! Mikihisa, go faster!' he exclaimed with fury.

'Yes, tou-san.'

* * *

'Damn him.' Hao said to no one in particular as he heard their conversation through mind-reading.

'What's wrong Hao-sama? What did they say?'

'Not much, just that I poisoned my little Otouto's mind that's all.'

'Eh?!'

'They're speeding up Luchist.'

'Understood.'

**

* * *

['Gyahhh! Aniki, you've got to get me out of here!'] **Yoh yelled at his brother's mind causing him to wince slightly.

**['I'm trying! So, stop yelling!'] **Hao thought back.

**[If you don't, I'll never be able to see you again! EVER!!!]**

**['What?! You've got to be kidding!']**

**['There going to ground me in Izumo! HELP ME!'] **Yoh yelled so loudly that Hao clutched his head in pain.

'Luchist, I'll drive.' Hao told the man surprising him.

'What?!'

'I can drive if that's what you are trying to ask. Is there any problem with that?' Hao answered as he read his mind.

'N-No.'

Hao slowly switched place with his comrade without losing control of the vehicle and at the same time without losing sight of the car in front of them. After switching place, Hao speed up Luchist's car and nearly crashed the car in front of them. Of course, he didn't since he knew his brother was at the back seat and he was using Luchist's car. He opened the car window on his side and rested his elbow on the window and rested his head on the palm of his hand as he drove left and right trying to take over the car in front. The strong wind blew against his long hair as he drove with incredulous speed.

* * *

'Mikihisa, faster will you! The demon nearly crashed us from behind!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'Don't worry, Yohmei-sama. He won't crash us at all.' Anna replied nonchalantly causing everyone to direct their attention to her except the driver.

'He only wants Yoh and coincidentally, Yoh was sitting at the back seat so if he were to do it, Yoh might get killed as well. Therefore, he has only one option which is to overcome us.' Anna replied casually.

As soon as Anna finished her last words, the car stopped abruptly as Hao managed to overcome them and stopped in front. Mikihisa reversed the car immediately and speed off again. Of course, Hao did the same and chased after the car.

'Curse that demon. Mikihisa, can't you go faster?!' Yohmei said furiously.

'Sorry Otou-san but we're at the fastest speed already.'

* * *

'Something's not right.'

'What's wrong Hao-sama?' Opacho asked. Hao's brow furrowed and Luchist's stared at the front with a serious expression.

'That route…it's leading to a dead end.' Both of them said in unison.

**

* * *

['Yoh, stop them quick!']**

**['What?! I can't stop them!']**

**['If you don't you're all going to die.']**

**['What do you mean?!']**

**['That route…IT LEADS TO A DEAD END!']**

Yoh eyes widened.

'Dad, stop the car immediately!'

'What?!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'Stop the car!'

'NO!' Yohmei yelled at Mikihisa.

* * *

'It's no use. They won't listen to him.'

'What should we do then?' Luchist asked.

'I don't have a choice. I have to stop chasing them by car or they'll be going to heaven.'

'What do you mean Hao-sama?' both Opacho and Luchist asked in a panicking tone.

'Just wait and you'll see what I meant.' Hao said and pulled the handbrake of the car.

* * *

'He stopped.' Yohmei said. Mikihisa turned to the back as well and stared at Hao in disbelief. He was coming out of the car with a steel pipe and a katana in his hand.

'Oh no.' Yoh's eyes widened in fear.

They turned back on the road and their faces turned pale. They were no longer at the road. They were driving in a wooden jetty heading straight towards the sea in high speed. In other words, they're in big trouble…

'DAD, STOP!!!' Yoh yelled desperately. However, his father had lost control of the vehicle causing the whole car to plunge into the sea. Water began to seep in slowly as they tried to find a way to get out of the car.

* * *

Hao and his two comrades ran towards the place where the incident had taken place a few minutes ago.

'I'm going to get Yoh and the idiot Asakura's. Luchist, you and Opacho wait for me at the mansion. I'll be back as soon as I'm done.' Hao told the two and dive into the cold water with his katana and steel pipe.

As soon as he had immersed himself into the icy water, he swam towards the vehicle and knocked on the window with his hands gaining his younger brother's attention. Yohmei glared at him.

**['Is it okay for me to hit the window with a steel pipe and pull you out slowly?']**

**['No, they would get hurt from the broken pieces!'] **

**['I guessed you would say that.'] **Hao swam a bit further from the place and pulled out his katana.

**['I'm going to cut this thing into half. Warn them.']**

'Yoh, what is he doing?!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'He's going to break the car! Everyone move to the side!'

'How do you know he's going to break the car not us?!' Mikihisa asked his son.

'I just know it! Move to the side!' Yoh yelled.

'No!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'Jii-san move!' Yoh pulled him towards the side and he avoided Hao's attack just in time.

The whole car split into half Keiko and Mikihisa placed Kino's hand over their shoulders and swam up to the surface. Yoh and Anna did the same to Yohmei and they swam up to the surface as well. Hao helped an almost out of breath Manta out of the car to resurface. Suddenly, he felt the urge to turn back and gave it a final check in case they missed out someone.

He was right.

They really did miss out someone.

* * *

'Achoo!' Manta sneezed as he was being pulled out of the water.

'Where's Nii-san?' Yoh asked warily.

'I don't know. He was just behind me when we're coming up but when I got here he's gone.'

'Thank god everyone's alright.' Mikihisa said and heaved a sigh.

'Wait.' Keiko said suddenly. She looked around the place.

'Where's…Tamao?' she said and everyone realized the absence of the pink haired girl.

'Oh no…' Mikihisa ran towards the edge of the platform and yelled 'TAMAO!!!'

'cough cough…I'm right here Mikihisa-sama.' A voice said suddenly and they all turned to the source of the voice.

Hao had brought her up to the dock and was slowly patting her back. Mikihisa quickly ran towards the girl followed by Ponchi and Konchi. Hao backed away knowing the girl would be receiving help and comfort from the family. They were all focusing their attention on Tamao when Yoh suddenly called out.

'Aniki!' Yoh looked at his brother in surprise.

Hao gave him a questioning stare. The Asakura's have began to look at him with a surprised expression. Tamao covered her mouth with her hands.

'Ummm…Is there anything wrong with me?'

'Y-Y-Your hair…' Yoh pointed out.

Hao eyes widened and he quickly held up a cluster of his hair. It has streaks of white on it.

'Sh**!' Hao ran away and left the place immediately even though he heard Yoh calling out to him. He managed to snatch the black coat that Luchist had left for him and covered himself with it on the way.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

* * *

**Hao eyes widened and he quickly held up a cluster of his hair. It has streaks of white on it.**

'**Sh**!' Hao ran away and left the place immediately even though he heard Yoh calling out to him. He managed to snatch the black coat that Luchist had left for him and covered himself with it while he was on the way. **

'Aniki, wait!' Yoh cried out but was again ignored.

'Go ahead Yoh, we'll catch up with you.' Keiko told his son. Yoh turned to her for a moment before giving a nod.

'I'll go with you.' Manta interrupted and followed his best friend. Both ran towards the direction where Hao had just left.

'So, what are we going to do?' Anna asked bluntly.

Everyone shifted their gaze on the Itako.

'We'll…follow him.' Yohmei said hesitantly.

* * *

He heard footsteps pacing up behind him. He glanced over his shoulders and saw Yoh and Manta chasing after him. He began to speed up. Suddenly, Yoh jumped passed him from tree to tree and stopped in front of him. Right now, he really regretted training his younger brother this morning. Meanwhile, the younger boy was glad he had trained him harshly today.

'Onii-san, what's going on? You hair is all…white.' He stared at his brother worriedly.

'Nothing's wrong. Everything is just fine.'

He took a step forward and his brother immediately took a step back.

'Stay away.'

'What? But you're-'

'Stay away from me...please.' He said slowly.

Yoh didn't really know what to do now. Hao had never been that desperate to actually use the word _'please'. _Plus, he was now looking so pale and limp like he was going to faint at any moment. He slowly took a step forward again but his brother realized what he was trying to do and stepped back instantly.

'Yoh, just stay away and leave me alone. I really can't talk right now and I really need to go back.'

'Why? Can't you go later?'

'No, I have to go NOW.' Hao emphasized on the word 'now'.

'What's the rush? It's not like you to be so impatient, Hao.'

Hao didn't need to turn to know who was behind him.

'Anna…' Yoh stared at his future bride.

'It's none of your concern Anna.' He said without turning to her.

'Are you that desperate that you'll leave even Yoh? Weren't you dying to get him back from us just now?' Anna asked sarcastically.

Hao twitched his eyebrows. His patience was growing thinner and thinner by second and that ice queen was really adding oil into the fire.

'Or…was it all just a lie to turn him into _your_ tool?'

That was the last straw.

'Watch your speech KYOYAMA ANNA! Even if I were to treat people in a cruel manner, I wouldn't bend that low!' Hao growled and turned to her.

'Then, what was the problem now? Why can't you wait?' Anna asked coldly.

'It's not him who couldn't wait. It was his powers that couldn't wait.' A voice replied out of the blue surprising everyone.

Hao suddenly clutched his stomach in pain and fell on the floor gaining everyone's attention. Yoh ran hastily towards his brother with Manta following behind him. After that, he knelt down and removed the coat he was wearing. His face was so white he looked almost like a ghost. He also realized that not only his hair had turned white, the sclera of his eyes had also turned from whitish color to sky blue and his brown orbs were narrowed in a strange way like those of a cat.

'Didn't I tell you to STAY AWAY from the water?' another voice asked in an irritated tone.

'I guess it can be helped. Yuu-nii is too stubborn.' A childish voice said.

They came out of the shadows and Keiko recognized two out of the five figures.

'You're the ones I met at Izumo!' Keiko said in surprise.

'Mom, Miss Asakura is here.' Sara pointed out to her.

'Do you know them?' Yohmei asked.

'Not really. I just met them once.'

'We'll do the talking later Sara. Right now, we have other work to do.' The woman told her daughter and turned to Hao who was lying limp on the floor.

'_Sigh_…he's always causing so much trouble.' Another girl said. She has brownish hair tied up in a pigtail at the left side of her head.

'No worries. After all, he's very light so it's pretty easy to carry him. Unlike you!' The only male of the five said as he lifted Hao with ease.

'Hey!'

'Exactly when will you two stop arguing?' a girl with long blond hair tied up in French braid style muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, the male turned to Yoh with an irritated expression. Yoh simply blinked in confusion.

'Fuyuki you idiot, why did you get into incidents that involves water when you know your brother need to stay out of the water at the moment?' he asked.

'Eh?' Yoh was getting confused.

'_Sigh_…You just _love_ to torture your brother don't you Fuyuki?' the girl with brownish hair said.

Both of them were given a smack on the head by the blond haired girl. Despite her height, she could actually reach their head.

'He's not Fuyuki you idiots.' The blond haired girl hissed.

'Eh?' the male exclaimed.

'T-Then who are you?' the girl with pigtails pointed at Yoh.

'I'm-' Yoh was abruptly cut off by someone unexpected.

'Asakura Yoh, is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Yukino.' The blond girl shook his hand.

'H-How do you know me?' Yoh asked in surprise.

'I think we'll explain all this later. Right now, your brother desperately needs treatment.' she said and turned to Hao.

A white limousine stopped in front of them.

'We'll be waiting here.'

'Umm...currently, we don't have our own transport.' Yoh said and grinned sheepishly. Sayuri blinked.

'How about taking a ride with us?' the woman with blond hair and blue eyes asked.

'We have a lot of space for guests. Plus, you're going to get ill if you don't get changed soon.'

Yoh turned to the others and saw their drenched state.

'Thank you.'

* * *

'Woah…you guys actually lived here?' Yoh's gaze travelled around the mansion.

The white limousine was already impressive enough. Unlike the Asakura mansion, it was a modernized mansion with exquisite design. Plus, they were greeted by many servants who stood in two rows beside the red carpet which was leading to the entrance of the house. As they were walking into the living hall, someone called out.

'Mistress Sayuri.' A teenage girl with formal clothing was walking towards them. The woman with blond hair and blue eyes turned to her.

'Tsuzuki-sama would like to see you.'

'Alright, I wanted to tell him some good news as well.' the woman who went by the name of Sayuri walked away with the other girl and stopped abruptly before turning to the direction where Yoh and the others were standing.

'You kids get along with our guest okay?' she said.

'Okay!' the girl named Sara said childishly and the woman left the place.

'Come on in!' Sara said and pulled Yoh's hand urging him to follow.

'Sara, Yukino, Kaoru and I will be taking Yuu to the treatment room. We'll be back in a few minutes.' he said and the two left.

After changing into new clothing given, they were lead by Sara and Yukino to the living room and were now sitting together.

'Ummm…Sara was it?' Keiko asked.

'Yes. Is there anything you want to ask? Ah! I forgot! Yukino-chan, call the girls to prepare some tea.'

'Okay.' She went towards one of the two servants that was standing in the room and said something to her. The two then left the room and closed the door before they left. Yukino went towards Sara and sat beside her.

'So, what was it you're trying to ask Miss Asakura?'

'Why are you calling Hao…Yuu?'

There was silence as Sara exchanged glances with Yukino before turning to them.

'Who's Hao?' the two asked in unison. The Asakura's looked at them in surprise.

'He's the demon that you brought home.' Yohmei replied simply. Sara's eyes narrowed and she stood up from her seat. The atmosphere tensed up out of the sudden.

'Demon you say?' Sara asked coldly sending chills down their spine.

'You should be more polite to others. We're all elder than you.' Anna's eyes narrowed as well.

Silence…

'You're right.' Sara said suddenly and the atmosphere went back to normal. She sat back and glared at Yohmei who just stare.

Glare…

Stare…

Glare…

Stare…

Glare…

Suddenly the door opened revealing the male and the girl with pigtails.

'We're back.' They said and took a seat beside Sara.

'So, what were you talking about just now?' the male asked.

'Nothing.' Yukino replied nonchalantly.

'O..kay… then, we'll just start with the introductions.' He said.

'My name is Shinichi and she's Kaoru.' he pointed to the girl with pigtails who waved cheerfully at them.

'The two girls as you may have known are Sara and Yukino.' He said as he pointed at them.

'So, what is your name?' he asked Yoh.

'I already mentioned it just now. His name is Asakura Yoh.' Yukino said on his behalf.

'Oh yeah, I forgot…Mind to introduce the others?' he asked.

'Well, this is my mother Keiko Asakura and this is my dad Mikihisa Asakura. That one was my grandmother Asakura Kino and the other one was my grandfather Asakura Yohmei. That boy is my friend Oyamada Manta. The pink haired girl with the kokkuri is Tamao and the other girl is Anna.'

'His fiancée.' Anna added.

Silence…

'F-F-FIANCEE?' Kaoru exclaimed.

'AT THIS YOUNG AGE?' Shinichi continued. Yoh blushed.

'Well, it is said that the Asakura's planned their child's wedding in order to maintain the strong line of shaman.' Yukino told the two.

'Well, it's kind of surprising…I mean, you're also engag-'

Yukino kicked him in the shin.

'Urusai!' Yukino's cheeks turned pinkish.

Just then, they heard a few knocks on the door and both quickly went back to their original/formal position.

'Ahem ahem…come in.' Shinichi said politely.

The two servants came in with a tray of tea in their hands. They slowly placed it on the table and when they were done they went out of the room.

'Sorry about that.' He told his guests.

'So what have you been talking about? You wouldn't have remained silent all the while right?' Kaoru asked.

'Fine. We're talking about Yuu.'

'Really? What is it about?' Kaoru asked enthusiastically.

'Yuu-nii's other name was Hao and for some unknown reason they call him...demon.' Sara replied.

* * *

He blinked for a moment. After a while, his view began to clarify and he saw two figures looking down at him. He recognized the long brown hair and that green eyes of one of the figure. He also recognized the blue eyes and the blond haired figure. In fact, he recognized the two figures way too well.

'Sayuri-san, Tsuzuki-sama.' Hao said softly.

'_Sigh_…you don't need to address us so formally.' The man said as he helped him to sit up.

'Anyway, it's been quite a while Yuu.' The man ruffled his hair.

'Y-You're messing my hair.' Hao said as he blushed.

'You know, he immediately came here as soon as he knew of your arrival.' Sayuri said and smiled. Hao blushed even more.

'S-Sorry.' He said and lowered his head.

'It's fine.'

'Alright, now that we know you're fine we should get going. Our guests are waiting.' Sayuri reminded.

'Guests? Which guest?' Hao stared at them questioningly. The two smiled at him.

'Your family of course.'

His face turned pale.

* * *

Silence once again engulfed the place. They stared incredulously at their guest's that was sitting opposite to them.

'Why would you call him that?' Shinichi asked.

'Because he is one. He had mercilessly murdered thousands of people in all his years of living. He is a disgrace to our family. I will never acknowledge him as a part of my family. NEVER!' Yohmei replied.

'L-Let me get this straight Mr. Yohmei Asakura, Yuu or Hao as you call him was NOT a part of your family and had murdered thousands of people in his years of living?' Shinichi asked disbelievingly.

'Have you mistaken him for another person or something?' Kaoru asked.

'I would never mistake that demon for another person!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'Are you sure? I won't call him a demon with such a personality. I would preferably call Fuyuki a demon though.' Sara said and the others nodded in agreement.

'Who's this Fuyuki?' Yoh asked earning an incredulous stare from them.

'That wasn't funny Yoh-san.' Kaoru told him laughing nervously.

'Of course…I'm serious about it.' Yoh replied.

Shinichi's jaw dropped while the others looked at him in utter surprise.

'You've got to be kidding!' Kaoru cried out.

'He's your older brother!' Shinichi yelled.

'What? B-But I only have one brother.'

There was another silence…

'WHAT?' all of them exclaimed.

'T-That's impossible!'

'You see…Yoh and Hao were twin brothers and they were-' Keiko was abruptly cut off.

'T-TWIN BROTHERS?' Kaoru exclaimed.

'You mean you're not his younger brother?' Shinichi added.

'SILENCE!' Yukino exclaimed.

'Calm down. We'll sort things out one-by-one so stop making things complicated. Let them explain first.' Yukino told the two and urge Keiko to continue with her explanation.

The Asakura's began to explain about Hao's thousand years of living and his plans of creating a shaman world earning incredulous stares from all of them. They also explained to them about the shaman tournament and what had happened all the way until the fight between Yoh and Hao.

'So that's what happened.' Kaoru said with a thoughtful expression.

'It's strange.' Shinichi said gaining everyone's attention.

'What's wrong Shinichi?' Kaoru asked.

'You see, when we found Yuu, Fuyuki was already there but all the while he was never mentioned. Plus, Yoh and Yuu were twin brothers so Fuyuki was never born. Then, where did he come from? How did he actually exist when he wasn't even born in the first place?'

'Exactly who is this Fuyuki? What does he have to do with my brother?' Yoh asked them.

They turned their attention towards the boy with a serious expression.

'Yoh-san, I know this would sound a little bit insane but at first, we all thought that he was your older brother's…twin.' Shinichi said calmly.

Everyone gasped.

'After the tournament between you and your brother, we found him unconscious with another person right beside him. That person was who we called Fuyuki.' Yukino told them.

'When the two had regained consciousness, their memories were totally lost so we have no clue as to who they are and what happened to them. Seeing no other option, we decided to adopt the two.' Kaoru added.

'Due to their striking resemblance, we assumed that they were twins. We all assumed that Yuu was the older of the two since he portrays the personality of a brother more than Fuyuki.' Shinichi continued.

There were dropped jaws and gasps as the words slowly registered their mind. Anna, Yoh, and Manta were the only ones who had shown no reaction so far.

'Please calm down. We're not done yet.' Shinichi said.

'Although the two looked really alike, they both have terribly different personalities.' Sara interrupted and the others once again nodded in agreement.

'In your point of view, Yuu was a demon that threatened to kill every single human on earth to create a shaman empire. I have lived with him for a while and I can tell you that he was definitely NOT a demon. In my opinion, Yuu was more of a naïve boy with a matured personality.' Shinichi told them earning incredulous stares from the Asakura's except for Yoh.

'and an adorable friend!' Sara chirped in.

'and an adorable friend.' Shinichi repeated. There were dropped jaws and gasps once again except for Yoh and Manta who smiled while Anna remained expressionless.

'Well, as for Fuyuki, he has a devil-may-care personality and always causes Yuu many troubles. He would always do the easy work and gave Yuu all the hard work. Still, I wouldn't call him a demon because even if he was a little cruel towards Yuu, he won't go over the line. Besides that, he would always help Yuu when he's in danger and he's always with Yuu when his brother needed someone most. That's when Fuyuki acted more like an older brother.' Kaoru told them.

'Up till now, we still couldn't figure out who's the elder of the two. Neither of them told us anything about themselves. All we can do is to assume.' Yukino said and sighed.

'Wait, if he had no memories of himself, how would he know we're his family?' Yohmei asked.

'That's because his memories have just recovered.' Yoh answered and everyone shifted their gaze towards the younger Asakura.

'Yoh, do you know something about this?' Mikihisa asked.

'Not much. We both know his amnesic because he already told us about it but he had never mentioned anything about this boy named Fuyuki.' Manta told them.

'Besides that, I once asked him why he had revived those he had killed and he just told us that it was to fulfill a promise. Sounds weird isn't it?' Yoh told them and grinned.

'Fulfill a promise you say?' Kaoru asked gaining their attention.

'Yeah…honestly, I don't think Nii-san was someone who'll fulfill his promises. The one who made that promise with him must be someone he really treasured.' Yoh responded and his smile grew wider.

'Indeed.' Shinichi said and they gave Yukino a meaningful look.

* * *

'No.' they said in unison.

'Eh?'

'Nakamura-sensei said you need a lot of rest.' Sayuri told the pyro shaman.

'B-But I'm fine already.' Hao struggled to get out of his bed but they pushed him back onto his bed.

'Now now, don't be so stubborn…unless you want me to tie you down on your bed.' Tsuzuki said in a threatening tone.

Hao made a wise choice by remaining silent. He had already experienced it a few times so he knew that the man definitely wasn't joking about it. He sighed exasperatedly and a few moments later, he resigned himself to sleep. After Sayuri had done tucking him in bed, the two went out of the room and closed the door carefully.

'He's asleep?' a voice asked.

They turned and was unsurprised to find an exact copy of Hao leaning against the wall, standing there waiting for them.

'So you've finally revealed yourself, Fuyuki.' Sayuri said.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

* * *

**They turned and was unsurprised to find an exact copy of Hao leaning against the wall, standing there waiting for them.**

'**So you've finally revealed yourself, Fuyuki.' Sayuri said.**

'Of course I will. After all, you're going to meet my _precious family_.' Fuyuki said sarcastically.

'You should've helped him. You knew his powers would react in the presence of water yet you just stand there and watch the whole scene.' Sayuri told the boy.

'He can always learn his lessons the hard way.' Fuyuki replied nonchalantly and turned to his back.

'Really? Then why don't I tie him on a bed and pour a bucket of water on him? That'll teach him a good lesson right Fuyuki?' Tsuzuki said in a mocking tone and Fuyuki turned to glare at him.

'If you ever do those kinds of things to him just like that time, I'll _kill_ you.' He hissed and walked towards Luchist and Opacho who was standing pretty far away from them.

Tsuzuki exchange glances with her wife and the two shook his head.

**['No matter how much you try to hide it, you won't hide it from us the fact that you **_**cared**_** about him.'] **Tsuzuki thought to himself and walked towards the direction where Fuyuki had just left.

* * *

'His power's is awakening.' Yukino said earning goldfish expressions from the Asakura's.

'Ummm…his power's already awakened a long long time ago.' Yoh told them.

'Nope. He was totally powerless when we were living together. We already gave him many tests that had confirmed it. In other words, his power's had just awakened. Plus, if his powers had already awakened a long long time ago, he wouldn't have been experiencing physical changes now.' Shinichi retorted.

'What does that have to do with his powers?' Mikihisa asked.

'Every individual will be experiencing changes in his power at two stages. The first one was during the awakening of their powers which Yuu was now going through and the other one was when the person was experiencing a boost in power. When that happens, their powers become unstable and will react in the presences of the elements they represented. If that individual could not control his powers, it will begin to manifest itself and will soon induce physical changes.' Yukino continued.

'Yuu represented the elements of water and so, his powers will react in the presence of water.' Shinichi replied casually.

'React in the presence of water? Shouldn't his powers react in the presence of…fire? I mean…he controls the Spirit of Fire right?' Yoh asked.

They stared at him with a questioning expression.

'What's that?'

Manta and Yoh fell over.

'I-It's a massive red spirit with two horns at each side of his head and had strips around his body. If you looked at it closely, he looked as if the spirit was being burned alive.' Manta described. Their face turned pale. Shinichi was about to say something when someone interrupted him.

'You seemed to get along really well with each other.'

'Nii-san!' Yoh stood up and walked towards him. Yukino and Anna's eyes narrowed but they remained silent.

'Are you alright? Just now you were so-'

'I'm fine. So, what were you talking about?' he asked.

'We'll talk after you've taken your seat.' He said.

He pulled him by the hand when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Yoh gazed at the hand he was holding before looking up staring at his brother for long moments. His brother blinked and gave him a questioning stare. Finally, he pulled him towards the place to take a seat.

'Nii-san, would you like to have some tea?' Yoh asked.

'Sure.' He answered. Yoh blinked and turned to Manta who gave Yoh a confusing stare similar to his.

'I'll go and make you some-'

'It's alright Yoh-san, you are after all our guests. All you need to do is ask and our servants can do the work.'

'I wanted to make some tea for Aniki on my own. I hope you don't mind of I do.'

'I will ask the servants to lead the way then.' Sayuri interrupted. Tsuzuki stood behind her.

'Mom...he's our guest remember?' Shinichi reminded.

'He just wanted to brew some tea for his brother so I don't think I have any problem with that.'

'Sigh...fine, do whatever you want.' Shinichi said.

'Thank you.' Yoh bowed to Sayuri and followed the servants.

A few moments later, he appeared with the same servants behind him. One of the servants was holding a tray of tea set on her hands while the other was holding a tray of teacups. He took a seat as he watched one of the servant set down the tray of tea set while the other servant began to arrange the cups on the table. The servants then poured the tea into the teacups before offering it to everyone. Hao took the teacup offered to him and drank it slowly. Yoh sipped from his own cup of tea.

'So, how was the Darjeeling?' Yoh asked his brother.

'It's good.'

Yoh blinked and exchanged glances with Manta before setting his teacup on the table.

'Who…are you?' Yoh asked surprising everyone.

'Why…I am your brother of course.' He said casually.

'No, you're not.'

He blinked at his younger brother for a few moments.

'What made you think that way?' he asked sounding curious.

'Firstly, Hao-kun doesn't speak that way. Secondly, you're recovery was way too fast and also, it's not Darjeeling that you're drinking, its chrysanthemum tea. Hao-kun would have lectured Yoh-kun if he can't even differ between those two tea leafs. He had spent one whole day teaching him that.' Manta explained.

**['Hmph…how typical of him.']** he thought.

'Another reason is that your hand is warm. Your hand was supposedly cold because Hao had already fallen sick even before all this things happened. I went and pushed him into the river today when it was only 7 in the morning. Not to mention he had not long ago dived into cold water for almost 20 minutes and then run a few kilometers in his drenched state.' Yoh continued. He raised an eyebrow.

'You're not bad for a fifteen year old boy.' He said and smiled mockingly.

'You must be Fuyuki then.' Yoh told him and reached out his hand.

'It's very nice to meet you Fuyuki-san.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you as well Otouto.' Fuyuki shook his hands.

'So how's Nii-san doing?'

'He's fine. Just a little bit too exhausted that's all.'

'Oh…'

Yoh said and sipped his drink. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before but he couldn't poke his finger as to where he'd seen him.

'You want to see him don't you?' Fuyuki asked.

'Well, I do want to see him but I don't want to disturb his sleep.'

'No matter how long he slept, he'll still open his eyes when he sensed someone coming. The moment you stopped in front of his door you already awoke him.' He told him causing him to spat out his drink.

'H-How do you know that?' Yoh asked.

'That's because I told him.' Another voice interrupted causing them to turn.

Hao stood there with his arms crossing over his chest and the pyjamas he was wearing were visible under the white unbuttoned coat that he was wearing.

'Yuu! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed!' Sayuri said in a panicking voice as he went towards the boy.

'I'm fine.' He retorted.

'No, you're not.' Tsuzuki shot back.

'Whatever.'

'W-Wait, how did you tell him?' Yoh asked.

**['You're not the only one who can use telepathic link with him okay?'] **Fuyuki thought to Yoh sarcastically. Yoh's eyes widened.

'THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!' Yoh exclaimed startling everyone in the room.

'It's not impossible Yoh. The three of us shared the same bond with each other.' Hao said.

'By the way, wasn't his name Shiro?' Fuyuki asked.

'No, it's Yuu. Who said it was Shiro anyway?' Tsuzuki asked. Hao and Fuyuki exchanged glances before replying…

'You?' the two said in unison.

'Oh, really?' he sweatdropped.

'I guess it can't be helped. After all, we've been debating for the two names for almost three days.' Sayuri told his husband and both Hao and Fuyuki grimaced at the memory.

'Thank god it wasn't me.' Fuyuki said and turned to Hao who gave him a glare.

'I don't care about what you want to call me as long as you stop giving me new names I'm fine with it.' Hao said and remained rooted on his spot. Yoh noticed that Hao's left hand was hidden behind his back.

'Yuu-'

'It's Shiro.' Fuyuki cut off his sentence and Tsuzuki gave him a glare. Hao heaved a sigh.

'I'll return to the room after I'm done with this.'

'What are you talking about?' Yoh asked.

Hao stared at him with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, he pointed at the direction of the wall with his right hand that wasn't hidden. All of them turned to the direction and stared at it.

BANG!

The wall exploded and its huge fragments crashed everywhere. Mikihisa and Keiko tried to defend the others from the fragments by wrapping themselves around them. They turned when they have not felt a single pain. Fuyuki stood in front of them and had created a barrier around the place successfully dodging the fragments of the wall from crashing onto them. The place was fully filled with smoke and when the smoke had disappeared, Yoh noticed that Hao was still standing on the same spot and had appeared unharmed in anyway. A loud screeching then gained everyone's attention. A few weird looking creatures were circling in the sky. The most surprising part of all was that it also had a weird pattern with a talisman between the bodies of every creature. The creature began to fly towards them in a V-shape.

'Shiro.' Fuyuki called out.

Hao ran swiftly towards the creature and held out an impressive lance before thrusting full force into his first target. The creature screeched in agony as the lance pierced its throat. The other creatures that were unharmed attacked him simultaneously and he dodged every single one of them without much difficulty. Fuyuki ran forward and raised his palms in the air. Flames appeared above his hands before materializing into a huge scythe. He seized his scythe and both ran towards the creature in a zigzag motion as they dodged the fireballs that were launched from the creature's mouths. They abruptly separated into different directions and launched an attack on the creatures at the same time successfully killed two out of the five creatures.

'Two down.' Hao said.

'Three more to go.' Fuyuki continued and together they launched another attack on the remaining creatures.

Manta and the others meanwhile stared at the two with wide eyes except for Kino, Tsuzuki and Sayuri who remained expressionless.

'T-They've become so swift…' Kaoru said in amazement.

'and so agile…' Shinichi added.

'Too slow.' Tsuzuki said surprising every audience that was watching. Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched and he darted towards one of the three creatures and sliced off its head in a swift motion. Hao in the other hand had shown no reaction towards the comment given.

'Three down.' Fuyuki said sarcastically.

'Two more to go.' Hao replied casually.

The remaining creatures began to fly up to the sky. Their bodies glowed and they disappeared into thin air. Hao's eyes widened and he began to search through every direction. Fuyuki did the same but before he could even move the creatures had reappeared behind him and launched a fireball at him. However, it did not reach its target as Hao reappeared in front of Fuyuki and created a water barrier in split second.

'H-How did he-'

'What an interesting turn of events.' Tsuzuki commented.

'But not fast enough.' Sayuri said.

It was then that Yoh realized exactly how strict his brother's foster family was. A memory came across his mind out of a sudden.

'_Anyway, they taught me how to do almost all kinds of stuffs in an __**extremely**__ proper way. Plus, their trainings were thousand times harsher than Anna's it was insane. You have to work and train till you drop. That explains why I can do house chores now.'_

'_It sounds…pretty frightening.' Yoh laughed nervously._

'_Wait till you experienced it yourself…' Hao told the younger boy._

He remembered how his brother had emphasized on the word 'extremely' during the conversation and he had also remembered seeing his brother's body that was filled with many deep wounds and scars. Was it because of the training course given by them? He pondered in his mind but was snapped back to reality when he heard a shrill cry. Fuyuki had managed to kill the last remaining creatures. The two walked into the house through the hole created by the explosion and stood in front of Sayuri and Tsuzuki. Silence engulfed the whole room as they stared at each other. Tsuzuki cleared his throat.

'Well, I have to admit there was a slight improvement.' He said and the two remained silent.

'But it wasn't good enough.' He continued and everyone gapped at him. Of course, except for the two expressionless Itakos.

'T-Tou-san, I think they were very good already.' Shinichi tried to convince his father.

'Yes, in a sense they were Shinichi. However, I think they could do a lot better than this. Right Yuu?' Sayuri asked.

Hao remained silent. Fuyuki gave them a glare and clutched his scythe.

'Why don't you demonstrate it for us? I'm sure we could learn **a lot**.' Fuyuki said in a mocking tone.

'You should control your temper Fuyuki.' Tsuzuki said as he glared at him.

Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched and he was about to attack the couples with his scythe when Hao grabbed his hand tightly successfully ending his plan of attacking them.

'I'm going back to my room.' Hao said and forcefully pulled Fuyuki with him.

'Good night!' Sayuri called out and both boys halted.

'Good night.' The two finally said and went out of the room.

'Well, I guess it's already late. How about staying over at our place?' Tsuzuki asked.

'We would love to but-'

'That would be very nice of you.' Anna interrupted.

'The servants will lead you the way then.'

* * *

'Ummm…excuse me, are you sure we're in the right room?' Yoh asked one of the servants who gave a nod. Manta stared at the servants as well.

The room was fine. It was massive and there was a mini version of the living hall at the middle of the room. There were vase decorations in every corner of the room and the bed looked huge and comfortable enough. The only problem is that…

'Hello Otouto.' Fuyuki waved at him while Hao who was sitting on the opposite couch polishing his lance turned to them.

'H-Hello, Aniki.' Yoh stammered as he waved from Fuyuki to Hao.

'H-Hi…' Manta greeted and did the same.

Hao said nothing and continued polishing lance as Fuyuki went to dismiss the servant and pull the two into the room.

'Come on in. Our room is large enough for the four of us.' He said and led them to sit at the couch.

'Thank you.' Yoh told Fuyuki as he accepted the cup of tea offered.

'Ummm…Nii-san?' he called out to Hao who ignored him and continued with his polishing. Fuyuki snatched his spear away.

'Hey!'

'Come on, don't be so anti-social. He just wanted to have a talk with you. It's not like you have to fight.' Fuyuki said and placed his hand on top of the spear. The spear began to glow and then it disappeared. Manta's eyes nearly fell out of his sockets while Yoh stared in amazement.

'I don't need to communicate with them. After all, I'm only a temporary twin brother and I'm doing all this out of YOUR request Fuyuki.'

'Ah yes, but don't you enjoyed the happy moments?' he said teasingly and the other boy blushed.

'SHUT UP.'

'Umm…sorry to interrupt but, what do you mean by temporary brother Hao-kun?' Manta asked gaining their attention.

'It meant I wasn't the one who gained my memories.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

Silence…

'It wasn't you who gained your memories? Then how-'

'I was the one who gained it. I wanted to find out more about my so-called family so I decided to confront you all. I also know I wasn't welcomed in the family so I decided to send him there in my place. I was pretty surprised that many of you accepted him though.' Fuyuki replied and gave Hao a meaningful look.

'But how did you even existed in the first place when you're not even born?'

'Ah…Shiro can explain that for you.' He turned to Hao who sighed.

'Remember that time when you gave me the final blow at the tournament?' he asked Yoh who nodded.

'What did you see after the blow was launched?' he asked.

'Ummm…you and the Spirit of Fire were sliced into half and a huge explosion occurred and the next thing we knew we're out of the Patch village.' Manta said on his friend's behalf.

'That's right. The moment I turned into half, Fuyuki was born.' Hao explained earning incredulous stares from the two.

'Umm…how come you're still-'

'We have our ways to restore our body Oyamada-san.' He said effectively shutting him up.

'So, is there anything else you want to ask?'

'Uh…I guess that's all for now.'

'I see. Then, I'll be explaining a few new rules that you will need to follow while you're in this house and also when you're with the Yoshifumi. After that, we'll get some sleep.'

'Okay.' Manta and Yoh said in unison.

* * *

Keiko looked at the clock. It was 8.00 am in the morning. She looked at her side where his husband lay there sleeping soundly. Seeing that she won't be able to go to sleep once again, she decided to get out of bed. After combing her hair, she slowly went towards the door and out of the room trying not to awake his husband from his peaceful slumber. She walked towards the corner and jumped when she nearly bumped into Sayuri who was coming from the opposing direction.

'You sure woke up early today Miss Asakura. I was about to check up on you.' Sayuri said.

'I just couldn't bring myself to sleep that's all.' She said and smiled.

'Why don't we have a walk in the garden then? After all, I wasn't in the mood to sleep as well.'

'That would be very nice of you.'

They walked in silent and arrived in the garden after a few minutes of walking.

'Miss Asakura-'

'Call me Keiko will do.'

'Oh…Keiko-san, I have talked with my children about the conversation you've been having with them yesterday. Mind to ask you why was Yuu…despised?' Sayuri asked and both stopped in their tracks. Keiko's smile faded and she lowered her head.

'He was hated because…he took away…the lives of many people.' She said and the girl sighed.

'I see…' she said and continued walking. Silence enveloped the two as they walked.

'You know…' Sayuri broke the silence and Keiko turned to her.

'I have always thought that everyone would love to know a boy like Yuu but it seems...I was wrong…and do you know what surprises me the most?' Sayuri asked Keiko who gave her a questioning stare urging her to continue.

'Is that the one who despises him most was his very own family.' She continued. Keiko lowered her head once again but remained silent. Sayuri walked towards a Sakura tree and reached out her hand. A petal of the flower fell onto the palm of her hands.

'Keiko-san…do you know anything about Yuu?'

Silence…

'No…' Keiko finally answered.

'Then I am not surprised that you despised him.' Sayuri said and Keiko looked up at Sayuri who smiled.

'You all said that you despised him more than anything in this world. Because of that you hardly, if ever try to see or understand him. You never really try to know why or what caused him to act this way. Plus, you've never taken care of him, you tried to kill him when he was an infant and you never accepted him as a part of the family from the start. Am I right?' She told the Asakura who nodded guiltily in response.

'I didn't mean to offend you Miss Asakura. What I'm trying to tell you is that I hope you would believe in him a little more. That boy with the orange headphones…hmm…what was his name again? Yoh was it?'

'Yes, it's Yoh.'

'Yoh believed in him didn't he? So, what was his response when you called his brother demon?'

'He said…he's not…a demon…don't…call him that…'

'That's right. Do you know why?'

Keiko slowly shook her head.

'It's simple. That's because he treated them well. They believed in him and cared about him so he treated them the same way they did to him. You on the other hand did not believe him and you despised him, that's why he never believed in you. He would always agree with whatever you want even if he didn't want to do it because he won't give a damn about what will happen to you. He won't help you in any way unless Yoh wanted him to help you. I think you already understood this concept after he saved you at the pier.'

Keiko's eyes widened at the realization. She was about to ask her something when they heard a startled yelp.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

**

* * *

Keiko's eyes widened at the realization. She was about to ask her something when they heard a startled yelp.**

Sayuri pulled Keiko into the bushes nearby and hide in between to see what was happening. They heard someone muttering but couldn't make out what they were saying. They also heard noises that sounded like metal being dragged on the floor. A strange silhouette appeared and the mutterings became clearer indicating their approach.

'Mataku, you should have been more careful. Learn how to save yourself before saving the others.' Hao's stern voice was heard.

'sniff…sniff…sorwie…' Yoh said as he sobbed.

Hao ran towards the place with Yoh being carried on his back. His legs were bleeding terribly as they were caught in between a steel trap. Hao ran towards a stone bench and placed Yoh down. He took two small branches and slowly placed it between the tooth-like projectiles before forcefully pushing it open. Once the opening was huge enough, he pulled it out of Yoh's leg.

'You need to be a little more careful. I won't be with you all the time.' He said as he knelt down and inspected the younger boy's wounded leg.

'I-I was just…_sob_…trying to…_sob_…save the…_sob sob_…rabbit…' Yoh told his brother.

Hao took off the scarf he was wearing and wrapped it around his leg before standing up to face the boy. He placed both of his hands on Yoh's cheeks and wiped away his tears with his thumb.

'I'm not saying it wasn't right. It's fine with me but you need to be more careful. People would feel sad seeing you hurt you know...your parents especially.'

'Our…sob…parents…' Yoh corrected him.

'Whatever. Anyway, it's a good thing I followed you. You would have fainted out of blood loss without anyone knowing.' The pyro shaman said and sighed.

'_sniff sniff_…sorry…'

'Alright, we should head back in so that I can treat that wound of yours.' He said and carried him on his back.

'Achoo!' Yoh sneezed.

Hao sighed and placed him back on the bench earning a questioning stare from his younger brother. He took off the coat he was wearing and wear it on Yoh.

'But Aniki…you're going to catch a cold.' Yoh told his brother who smiled.

'Then hug me tighter.' He quickly lifted him off the bench and sprinted towards the mansion. Yoh half screamed and half laughed out loud on the way.

Keiko and Sayuri walked out of the bushes. Both gazed at the mansion where Yoh and Hao had just went in and smiled.

'Let's go back in.' Sayuri told her.

* * *

'Ow!'

'Stop moving already…'

'But it hurts a lot.' Yoh whined.

'It's the consequences for not being more careful.'

'That's cold…'

'What do you expect?! Complimenting you for saving a rabbit and falling into a steel trap yourself?! Really…how could you miss something so easy? The trap was obviously just in front of you and yet, you just did the impossible by stepping on it.' Hao scolded and continued muttering about how Yoh should've been more careful as he wrapped the bandages around his leg. Yoh smiled at his brother.

'You sound like Kaa-san.' He told the long haired boy who blinked in response.

'You sounded too childish.' He said and gently pushed his twin's leg into the futon before helping Yoh who was sitting upright to lie down onto the futon. He pulled the sheets up to his neck and brushed strands of short hair away from his face.

'I'll go and make you something light to eat. If there's anything you want, just tell me through telepathic link okay?'

'Okay.'

Hao stood up and went out of the room. As he was walking, Sayuri appeared out of nowhere.

'Good morning Yuu!' Sayuri's cheerful voice surprised him causing him to fell on the floor.

'G-Good morning Mistress Sayuri.' He stammered. Sayuri's eyes were suddenly hard and her lips were reduced to a thin line. Hao's eyes widened and he averted his gaze as he dusted off the dirt in his clothing.

'Uh…I…uh…I need to go to the kitchen…S-Sayuri-san.' He said and Sayuri's expression went back to normal.

'What's the rush? It's not like you to be so impatient.'

'T-That's not what I meant…I-I was just…' he stuttered.

'I know, I was just joking.' She said and attempted to stroke his cheek but the boy walked a few step backwards until his back came in contact with the wall.

'Iria-san is waiting for me.' He said and quickly ran away from the place.

* * *

'You ran away from her just like that?!' Iria said unbelievingly as she arranged the ingredients on the counter.

'I can't help it. You know how harsh she was in the past.' He retorted as he chopped the vegetables.

'Thank god she wasn't that Mistress Sayuri who found you and Fuyuki at a deserted land. She would have punished you terribly for doing this to her.'

'I know.' He said and placed the vegetables on a bowl.

'By the way, how come you came down so early today? Normally, you would be reading a huge pile of books in your room until afternoon.'

'I awoke when I heard my Otouto open the door room. Instinctively, I followed him all the way to the garden. He saw a trapped rabbit and released it but ended up falling into a steel trap himself.' Hao continued as he turned on the stove before adding some oil into the cooking pot.

'Oh dear, it must have hurt a lot.' She said as she washed the fruits.

'He wouldn't have fallen into it if he was more aware of his surroundings. Really, how could he be so careless? That thing was just in front of him and yet he could miss it.' Hao began to mutter like how he did when he was bandaging Yoh's leg as he added some ingredients into the pot and stirred it. A smile creased the chef apprentice's lips as she watched the boy who continued to mutter and shook his head.

'You sounded like a mother you know?' she said and the boy blinked. His gaze softened as he added some water into the pot.

'Yoh told me the same thing when I was helping him with the bandaging.' He said softly and added some salt.

'What are you--'she said and leaned on the kitchen counter.

'Miso soup.' He stirred the pot slowly.

'Mataku, you're always finishing people's sentences.'

'Sorry to offend you but I'm too used to predicting things.'

Just then, they heard a tinkle coming from the oven indicating that the cake is ready to be taken out.

'Help me with this.' Hao told Iria who then replaced his position in stirring the soup.

He took the pair of mittens that was hanging on the wall and wore it on his hands before taking out the baked goods from the heated oven. The aroma of the freshly baked cake drifted into the air.

'Mmm…Your cooking skills have gotten better Yuu.'

The two turned to the source of voice.

'Good morning, Shinagawa sen--.' Hao was abruptly cut off when she placed her forefinger on his mouth.

'Didn't I tell you not to say the s-- word?' the cordon bleu chef told the boy.

'Sorry…' he said and the girl giggled.

'You haven't changed at all. You're still so serious at work.' She said and went towards Iria.

'Good morning Shinagawa-sensei.' Iria said and bowed.

'Good morning Iria. What are you cooking?' she asked and looked into the pot.

'It's miso soup. Yuu made it for his Otouto.' Her apprentice replied cheerfully as she closed the pot with the cover and turned off the stove. The chef raised an eyebrow and turned to the long haired boy.

'No wonder you came down so early today. I thought you have read too many books you've ran out of books to read.' she said teasingly and the boy quickly turned away.

'That won't be possible. There are a whole lot of books waiting to be read at the library…' The boy said as he placed the cake on the counter and started cutting it into two layers.

'Are you baking--'

'Fruit cake.' Iria finished as she went towards the fridge and took out a bowl filled with a variety of properly-cut-fruits before placing it beside Hao who was now applying some whipped cream on the one layer of the cake.

'So, what have you managed to prepare for your little Otouto so far?'

'Umm…so far I'm done with the starter. The dessert is still in process so all that's left undone was the main course.' Hao told her and continued to apply some cream into the other portion of cake.

'What was the main course?'

'You know…toast and bacons…stuff like that.' He said as he carefully arranged the fruit on the creamy surface of the cake.

'I thought you said you wanted to prepare him something light?' Iria asked and Hao stopped with his arranging. A huge sweat drop appeared at the back of his head.

'I…forgot…' he said and the both girls sweat dropped as well.

Silence then enveloped the whole kitchen…

Leaning behind the wall next to the entrance of the kitchen, both Keiko and Sayuri snickered silently. Keiko smiled to Sayuri who blinked and smiled in return. Then, the two silently walked away. Sayuri stared at the clock. It was already 9.35 in the morning.

'I think it's about time we wake the others. It's almost time for breakfast.'

* * *

The curtains opened and the sun shone through the dark room. Manta groaned as he stirred in the bed and placed a pillow on top of his head. Fuyuki meanwhile turned away from the source of light and pulled the blanket over his head. The two definitely wasn't ready to wake up yet.

'Wake up you two. It's almost time for breakfast.'

'Five more minutes…' the two said in unison.

'No, you need to wake up NOW.' he said more sternly this time but received no reaction from the two. He pulled away the blanket that was covering the two boys.

'You need to get changed. Breakfast is almost starting.'

Fuyuki rose from his bed and rubbed his eyes while Manta continued with his sleep.

'What time was it Shin-nii?' he asked as he stretched.

'Sigh…its 9.49 already.'

'WHAT?!' he exclaimed and Manta jumped totally awaken.

'Tanma get up! Breakfast is starting in 10 minutes!' Fuyuki said and dragged him into the bathroom before slamming the door shut.

* * *

All of them sat on the table waiting for those that haven't arrived. Shinichi came into the room followed by Fuyuki and Manta. The Asakura's immediately noticed the absence of two boys.

'Where's Yoh and Hao?' Anna asked Manta who was taking his seat.

'We don't kno--'

'Sorry we're late.' Yoh interrupted. They turned to him and gasped. Hao was carrying him on his back?!

'What are you doing Hao?! Put him down this INSTANT!' Yohmei yelled.

'Jii-san, it's not what you think, I--'

'Look at your grandson's condition FIRST before asking me to put him down Asakura Yohmei.' Hao said coldly and slowly carried his twin towards his seat. One of the servants noticed the wound on the younger boy's leg and immediately went and helped to pull out the chair before Hao put Yoh down on his seat that was located between Mikihisa and Keiko.

'Yoh, what happened to your leg?!' Mikihisa said and was about to hit Hao when someone caught his hand.

'Tou-san, it's really not what you think, I--'

'How can you hit people without even investigating what happened?!' Iria yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. All attention was shifted to the girl as she went towards Hao.

'Umm…Iria, you should be polite to others remember?'

'He didn't even ask what happened and he just hit you as if you're really guilty and now you ask me to be polite to him?!' she said as she pointed towards Mikihisa.

'Iria--'

'If you're not going to explain anything to him, I'll explain everything for you!' she said and turned to glare at Mikihisa.

'For your information, your son fell into a steel trap when he was trying to save a rabbit this morning. Yuu followed him all the way there and gave him emergency treatment. All he ever did was to treat his younger brother's wound and THIS is what he got?!'

'How do we know you're not lying?' Yohmei said coldly.

Iria lifted up the basket she had been holding and shoved it into Mikihisa's hand.

'See for yourself.' She said angrily.

Mikihisa look into the basket and saw two rabbits in it. Both rabbit's legs were wrapped with bandages and the blood stains were visible.

'The rabbits didn't prove anything.' Anna told the girl earning a glare from her.

'The gardener had witnessed it as well so if you don't believe us you can go and ask him. He was the one who help Yuu cut off the chains linked to the other steel trap.'

'I don't believe you.' Yohmei said.

'Why you--'

'That's enough, Iria!' Hao said sternly.

'But--'

'No more 'but'. Now be a good girl and go help your sensei in the kitchen alright?' Hao told her gently.

'EH?!'

'Iriaaaaa…I'm starving.' Fuyuki said purposely to help his brother.

'Grrr…how can the both of you act as if nothing has happened at all?' she said angrily and stormed off the room. Hao gave Fuyuki a thankful smile and Fuyuki smiled back. He then went towards his seat beside Fuyuki when someone cleared his throat. Both Fuyuki and Hao turned and saw it Mikihisa who was clearing his throat.

'Umm…what am I supposed to do with these?' Mikihisa asked as he held up the basket. Fuyuki glared angrily and ignored the man. Hao went towards Mikihisa and took the basket.

'I'll take care of these.' He bowed and went out of the room all the while holding the basket. The Asakura's stared incredulously at boy while Yoh and Manta smiled to each other.

'I think I'll be going to the toilet.' Mikihisa said and went out of the room.

After Hao and Mikihisa returned, the dishes were already arranged on the table and all of them were waiting for the two. After taking their seat, they started eating. Yoh was about to take a piece meat when Sara snatched it away from him. He took another one and Sara snatched it away again. The third time when Sara snatched away his meat, he used his chopsticks to prevent her from snatching away his meat earning a glare from her. Then, they started to battle using their chopsticks. As the battle was becoming more and more intense...

Prack!

One of the chopstick Yoh was using broke into two indicating Sara's victory. Sara happily snatched away the piece of meat as Yoh opened a new pair of chopsticks that was replenished by the servants. As Yoh was about to take another piece of meat, Sara pushed the glass where the plate was placed on. It has roller that was specially attached underneath them for convenience but Sara was obviously misusing this convenience. The whole plate rotated away from Yoh and went towards Hao. Sara smiled at Hao who smiled back and stared at Yoh who gave Sara a wounded look. He smiled and took a small piece of meat to Fuyuki and himself before pushing it towards Yoh once again. Yoh blinked and turned to Hao who made hand gestures for him to take some. He even said 'go ahead.' for effect. Yoh's face beamed and he took a big piece of meat from the plate then onto his bowl of rice. Sara looked at Yoh with a sulking look. Hao smiled silently as he ate his bowl of rice.

* * *

'Yuu! I have a bone to pick with you!!!' Iria said angrily.

'Come on, stop acting so childish…' Hao said as he wiped the kitchen counter.

'Plus, it's no use talking with them. They won't believe us.' Fuyuki continued as he washed the dish.

'B-But we have prove!' she retorted.

'They still wouldn't believe us.' Hao told the girl.

'Why won't they?' the professional chef asked and both Hao and Fuyuki stopped with their work and turned to her.

'That's because they despised us.' The two said in unison.

Silence engulfed the kitchen. Iria exchanged glances of disbelieve with her teacher before turning to them.

'Why would they despise you?' Iria asked. Hao gave a sigh while Fuyuki continued washing the dish.

'Honestly, before I lost all my memories, I used to be a powerful and influential person who had killed countless people just to get whatever I wanted. That's why people would call me monsters or demons. Well, not that I mind anyway.' Hao said and shrugged. The two girls gave her another incredulous stare.

'Y-You…kill??? T-That's impossible.' sha said and Hao shook his head, his long, auburn hair swayed following his motion.

'I really did. But I already revived all of them.'

Silence once again enveloped them.

'YOU REVIVED THEM?!' they exclaimed so loudly and Hao immediately clamped their mouth shut.

'Shh…we can't let anyone know this.' He told them and uncovered their mouths. After that, Hao exchanged glances with Fuyuki and the two snickered.

'W-What's so funny?' Iria asked.

'It's not you. It's just that…'

'It's the first time we actually heard Shinagawa-sensei raise her voice.' Fuyuki said and the two of them smiled teasingly causing her to blush.

'Well, not that we've ever seen Yuu raised his voice as well…' Iria said matter-of-factly and Yuu blushed as well.

'Ah…now that you mentioned it Iria, we have never seen Yuu raised his voice in this house at all. Ne?' Fuyuki said teasingly.

'That's because there wasn't anything to be angry about in here. Unlike when I was at the Asakura mansion, no one here had thought of me as a demon but when I was there…I wasn't welcomed at all and I yelled at people many times…As soon as I looked into their eyes, I only saw three things-hatred, fear and rage.' Hao said and sighed.

'Yuu…' Iria stared at the boy sadly and lowered her head.

'Even so, things like these are expected in our life.' Hao said as he washed the cloth that was used to wiped the kitchen counter. Iria's head perked up in surprise.

'In this world, everyone has their own opinion towards something. Just like when a judgment is made by someone, some of them would agree with his choice but there will definitely be at least one who'll disagree with it. That's why it doesn't really surprises to me if people chose to do things according to their own way. Moreover, we can't possibly force our own believe down their throat…right?' He said and took out the fruit cake from the fridge and placed it on the counter.

'Eh? Yuu, don't tell me you--'

'Yes. I thought of baking it for Yoh but then Iria reminded me that I was supposed to make him something light so the whole thing turned into a mess. In the end, he still insisted to take his breakfast at the dining table so…he didn't eat any of it. I thought we could ate it together with him at first but now that his family knew of his condition, I better not send him any food or they'll be thinking that I put some sort of poison in it...oh well, whatever that had happened happens already. So, mind to join me?' Hao asked.

'Sure. You guys wanna join in as well?' Fuyuki asked.

'Alright, then.' the two responded and took a seat at the kitchen table. Fuyuki meanwhile went to take a few plates and cutleries as Hao cut the cake. After being distributed properly, the balance of the cake was placed back in the fridge.

'Itadakimasu!' all of them said in unison and began eating.

'Mmm...delicious.' Iria said.

'You're skills have gotten better.' Shinagawa continued.

'You've really outdone yourself.' Fuyuki added.

'Thank you for your support and compliments of my cake.' Hao said and all of them laughed.

'Oh…so you're all going to eat cakes without inviting us?' Kaoru said and they turned their attention to her.

'Don't worry Kaoru-chan, your portion is coming right up.' Hao said and went to take out the remaining cake from the refrigerator. Kaoru squealed in delight.

'I know you'll never forget me.' She said and went to give him a squishy hug.

'By the way, you guys want some?' Hao asked them and they nodded.

* * *

While eating...

'So, how was your combat training progressing Shin-nii?' Hao asked out of a sudden surprising him.

'You know what? Sometimes I really wonder who was the oldest among us.' Shinichi said and smiled.

'Well, it's probably due to me always taking care of Fuyuki.' Hao replied and Fuyuki gave him a sulky look.

'Oh, by the way, could you help me rehearse the name of the dish Yuu? I can't seem to get it right at all…' Iria asked as she gave him a pleading look.

'Okay.'

'But before that, we're going horse riding.' Shinichi said.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

* * *

'**By the way, could you help me rehearse the name of the dish Yuu? I can't seem to get it right at all…' Iria asked as she gave him a pleading look.**

'**Okay.'**

**'But before that, we're going horse riding.' Shinichi said.**

* * *

They stared at him in disbelieve. It couldn't be possible. What the girl had said during breakfast was true?

'Jii-chan, I'm not lying. He really helped me.'

'Of course you would say that! You're too kind!' Yohmei snapped.

'Actually…' Keiko interrupted causing them to direct their attention to her.

'Both Miss Keiko and I saw it as well.' Sayuri finished and all of them turned to Keiko.

'You saw what happened?' Mikihisa asked Keiko who nodded slowly.

'What did you see? What did that demon do to him?'

'Not much. He just...treated him like…a little brother.' She said shocking everyone in the room.

'Are you really sure?' Mikihisa asked her who smiled. For the very first time ever since Hao was born, she had a little faith in him. At first she wasn't sure whether she should trust him or not but after seeing what happened at the garden and at the dining table, she no longer have any doubts. She finally nodded at Mikihisa who then sighed exasperatedly.

'I guess I owe him an apology then…'

'Don't worry Tou-san, Onii-chan will definitely forgive you. I'm sure of it.' Yoh said and smiled.

'I hope so…' he said and sighed.

Keiko took his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze showing that she was there to support him.

'Don't worry, everything will be fine as it should be, right Yoh?'

'Yup, everything will definitely work out.' Yoh said and smiled.

* * *

'Woohoo! Go Hokaze!' Shinichi yelled earning a neigh from the horse.

He was currently the fastest one and behind him was Fuyuki who was trying very hard to catch up followed by Kaoru, Iria, Yukino, and lastly, Sara. Hao meanwhile had no interest in the ride and so he went for a leisurely walk with Shinagawa at the farm building.

'Hey Fuyuki! Is that all you got?' Shinichi said and Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. How dare he underestimate him?

'Shirotsuki!' he called out.

'Nakamura-sensei! Where are you?' the veterinarian heard that all too familiar voice and smiled to himself.

'_Sigh_…I missed him that much I even heard the hallucinations of his voice…' he said and shook his head.

'Nakamura-sensei!' the tone of voice had a tinge of frustration and this time his head perked up in surprise. He went out of the stall and saw Hao looking here and there searching for him.

'Yuu!' he called out and Hao turned to him.

'There you are Nakamura-sensei!' he said cheerfully and ran towards him before giving him a hug.

'Yuu, how are you? When did you arrive? Have your memories been fully restored?' he was too happy to see him.

'I'm fine. I arrived yesterday and no, my memories weren't fully restored. Just partially restored.' He replied cheerfully and the man ruffled his hair.

'Stop, you're messing my hair again.' He pouted as he straightened them.

'Sorry but…I haven't done this for almost a month!' he said and they both laughed.

'Ahem Ahem…' a voice interrupted and they turned.

'Sorry Manami-san.' He told the chef who smiled and shook her head in response. Hao blinked for a moment.

'You call Shinagawa-sensei by her first name?' he asked and the doctor flinched. He looked back and forth from the cordon bleu chef and to the horse doctor.

'Oh…so that's what happened when I was away…' he said and smiled a knowing smile causing them to blush.

'Well then, I guess it's better for me to go and join them in their horse riding then.'

'No, it's fin-'

'See you guys later.' He waved a goodbye and walked away leaving the two behind.

'He's the first one to notice this.' The doctor said and smiled.

'_Sigh_…We can never hide anything from him...' she said and the two smiled.

'Umm…sorry to interrupt but…I don't have the clothes and I can't open Hoshi's stall without the key Nakamura-sensei…' Hao's head was poked out from the corner showing a small tinge of guilt. The couple exchanged glances and smiled at the boy before walking towards him.

* * *

'They went horse riding?' Sayuri asked one of the servants.

'Yes, mistress. They said they'll be back in a few hours.'

'We'll be going to the farm building then.' Tsuzuki said and sighed.

'Wahhh…it's so beautiful…' Sara said in awe as she gazed at the clear water of the lake and the trees surrounding it.

'Hehehe…I found it a few days ago when I was horse riding. Nice isn't it?' Shinichi said proud to have found this place. Fuyuki snorted.

'Both Yuu and I already found it years ago…' he said and smirked at Shinichi who gave him glare.

'Why didn't you tell us then?' Kaoru asked curiously.

'We don't see the necessity of telling you something like that.' He sneered.

'Well, now that we're done, we better get home. We would be in big trouble if we stay here too long.' Yukino said.

'Awww…come on, just a little while longer, pleaseeeee…' Sara pleaded.

'But-'

'Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…' Sara made a puppy look.

'_Sigh_…Just 20 more minutes and we're going home alright?'

'Yay!' Sara hugged Yukino and they started walking around the place.

* * *

'Hoshi!' Hao yelled cheerfully and the sleeping white horse immediately opened his eyes and perked up his head.

Hao was standing at the opening of the stall with the doctor behind him. It stood up and went towards the boy before started licking him causing him to fell.

'Stop it Hoshi! It tickles!' he managed between laughs and ruffled the part of its head between its ears.

'How are you buddy?' he said and stroked its neck.

'You know, just now when another doctor was in charge of him he tried to check up on him but he nearly gave him a kick.' The veterinarian told the boy who laughed.

'Mataku, you're as stubborn as ever Hoshi. Come on now…' he said and pulled him out of his compartment towards the horse doctor.

'We're going to go and give you a little check up first…' he said and the horse neighed and started to push him with its head urging him to walk away from the doctor. The veterinarian and the chef who was watching couldn't help but smile at the cute scene.

'Hoshi, if you don't do some check up I can't bring you out for a ride. Now be nice and we'll get to go out in no time alright?' he said but apparently it had fallen onto deaf ears as the horse continued to push him.

'_Sigh_…alright alright, no check up for you. Happy now?' he asked and the horse stopped and lowered its head as if giving a nod.

'I'll take that as a yes. Still…' he turned left and right and pulled the horse back into its stall but the horse refused as it resisted his pull.

'Just a few minutes, after that we can go out.' He said as the horse stopped pulling and followed.

'Shinagawa-sensei, Nakamura-sensei, would you like to wait outside or come in?' he asked and the two adults exchanged glances with each other before walking in. Hao closed the door and heaved a sigh.

'What's wrong Yuu?'

'Whatever you are going to see next…can you two…promise to keep this…a secret…please?' he gave them a pleading look as the two looked at him in confusion.

'Alright.'

'We promise.'

'Thank you.' He said and walked towards the white horse.

He raised his left hand and light radiated from the edge of his fingers. Little fragments of light were radiating through the light on his finger and slowly the light grew brighter and shone through the whole place. The light was so blinding the two adults covered their eyes with their hands. A few moments later, the light dissipated and everything went back to normal. They stared disbelievingly at the boy who was now ruffling the back of the horse as if nothing had happened. Hao turned to him and his smile faded immediately after seeing their expression. Silence engulfed the whole place as Hao stared at them warily. Could it be that they were afraid of him now?

'Yuu…' Shinagawa stared at him in disbelieve.

'D-Did you just use…your…powers?' he asked with wide eyes.

He remained silent but gave a slow nod.

'That's…that's so great!' he said and Hao blinked.

'You've finally been able to use your pow-'his voice trailed off when Hao placed his index finger on his mouth.

'You promised to keep it a secret remember?' he whispered to him and removed his finger.

'What happened just now?' Shinagawa asked and Hao smiled.

'You'll have to figure that out on your own.' He said as he pulled Hoshi out of the stall.

'What's wrong sensei?' he asked when he sees them awkwardly checking themselves even though he already knew the answer.

'I don't know…I suddenly felt unusually refreshed.' The doctor replied.

'I felt the same way.' She added and Hao looked here and there before turning back to them.

'It's healing magic. Only a few people knew about this power of mine.' He whispered.

'Ahh…I see. So that was why you pulled him back in.' he said and the boy nodded.

'Do you have any other powers other than that?' Shinagawa whispered and the boy once again nodded in response.

**['I'm telepathic.'] **Hao thought to the both of them who stared at him dumbfounded.

**['Sorry, all of this was a little sudden but I still hope you can keep it a secret from the Yoshifumi's.']** He said earning two nods.

'I'll be taking Hoshi out for a ride then.' he said cheerfully as he sat on the horse's back.

'Hoshi, you can go anywhere you want today.' Hao told the horse.

As if it understands the order given, it lifted its front feet off the ground and sprinted off of the building. The doctor exchanged glances with the chef and both smiled.

'Nakamura-san!' a voice exclaimed startling the two. Unlike when Hao called out, the veterinarian's eyes were filled with weariness as the two quickly went towards the source of the voice.

'Tsuzuki-sama.' The two addressed the man and bowed. They wondered what had happened for all of the Asakura's were present with him as well as Yoh.

'Nakamura-san, where's Yuu?' he asked sternly.

'They already went out. We're not too sure when they'll be back.'

'How long have they gone out?' Sayuri asked.

'Yuu just went out a while ago but the others were already out for almost an hour.'

'wait, Yuu went separated from them?'

'Yes. He went out when you came.'

'_Sigh_…if we want to see them we'll have to wait.'

'It isn't necessary.' Hao replied casually startling everyone. They turned and there Hao was pulling the white horse behind him. The white riding jacket outlined his thin body and matches with the fur of the white horse.

'Yuu, haven't you gone out already just now?' Nakamura asked and Hao held out a helmet he had been holding.

'I forgot about the helmet.' he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world and the doctor knew he was lying.

'Though I don't think I'll be going for a ride anymore.' He said and threw the helmet towards one of the servant's direction.

'Yoh, what are you doing here?' he asked surprising the younger twin. He was sitting on a wheelchair.

'I…uh…'

'Get back to bed and rest. Your leg hasn't healed yet.' He said sternly as he pulled horse back into its shelter.

'Gomen, Hoshi. I'm afraid we'll have to go out another time.' He said as he stroked its neck.

'Hao, we need t-'

'Who's Hao?' The doctor and chef asked in unison.

'It's my other name.' Hao said and smiled apologetically at them as he closed the door of the stable.

'Oh…wait, are they your family?' Nakamura asked.

'Yes and no.' Hao answered smugly earning confusing stares from the two.

'Yeah, right!' He said as he walked towards the boy. The boy noticed and walked a few step backwards for he knew what was coming.

'W-What are you doing?'

'Nothing, just a little warming up…' he said and Hao immediately turned but before he could run, the man wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him off the ground with ease before placing the boy over his shoulders.

'Let me go!' he said as he struggled to break free from his strong grip.

'Can I lend him for a moment?' he asked.

'No!' Hao yelled.

'Sure.' Sayuri said

'EH?'

'Thanks.' he replied and carried him away from the place. Silence engulfed them…

'Um…Miss Sayuri…' Yoh finally broke the silence.

'Yes?'

'Why would they want to lend Aniki?' Yoh asked as he stared at her with questioning gazes. Sayuri smiled at him.

'For interrogation purposes.'

'We're back!' a few voices said in unison.

Fuyuki and the others appeared and were surprised to see the Asakura's. Fuyuki stared coldly at them.

'Where's Shiro?' he asked coldly.

Yoh stared at Fuyuki. He looked exactly similar like Hao except that his horse and riding jacket was black instead of white and he was wearing helmet on his head.

'I'm over here Fuyuki…' Hao said as he went towards him with Nakamura following behind him. The doctor was clutching his cheek and Yoh had a hunch that he had just been slapped but made no comment on it. Fuyuki raised an eyebrow as his gaze on Hao travelled from head to toe.

'I see you went out for a ride as well.' He said and smirked.

'Just for a few minutes that's all.'

They stood there facing each other looking so alike but so different at the same time. Hao suddenly turned to the direction where the Asakura's stood.

'Is there anything we can help you?' he said and Yoh snapped out of his daze and turned to Hao.

'N-Nii-chan, I-I want to talk with you. Mind to follow us?' Yoh asked.

'Why must he obey you? He is neither your servant nor slave.' Iria said with an irritated tone.

'Iria, be polite to others!' Hao and Shinagawa said in unison. Hao blinked and turned to Shinagawa who smiled in return.

'Actually, I think I would preferably agree with Iria, Shiro.' Fuyuki said and everyone turned to him.

'Shiro, they all despised you greatly. I think you saw it when Mikihisa Asakura nearly hit you this morning so it was way risky for you to be with them. Plus, Iria's right. You're neither his servant nor slave so you don't have to obey them.'

'It won't happen again Aniki. I just want to have a talk.' Yoh told his brother.

'Yeah, right! The next thing we knew he's at the hospital's emergency room.'

'Iria!' Hao and Shinagawa exclaimed in unison. Hao turned and blinked at Shinagawa who smiled again in response.

'I don't think I need to tell you anything Iria, Yuu is good enough to do the work for me already.' Shinagawa told Iria and Hao sweat dropped.

**['That's my line…'] **he thought to Shinagawa who smiled apologetically at him.

'Shiro, are you going to follow them just like that? We won't know what's going to happen when you're alone with them. They might even kill you-'

'Watch your speech you brat!' Yohmei snapped at Fuyuki. He had been holding his anger for so long for his grandson's sake.

'Am I wrong? You hated him so much you even wished for him to-'

'Enough!' Hao yelled and the whole place was silent. He turned to Yoh.

'Yoh, I will come with you but on one condition. I want Fuyuki and Iria to come as well.'

'WHAT? What does it have to do with us?' Fuyuki and Iria said in unison.

'Well, since you've both had so many opinions to voice out…you two might as well follow me there and listen to the conversation correct?' he asked and the two gapped.

'B-But Shinagawa-sensei said it's not good to eavesdrop on someone's conversation!'

'and she said having too many children in the room would cause a lot of discomfort for the those who needed privacy.' Fuyuki replied and Iria nodded vigorously.

'Then what was the problem of me going alone?' he asked and gave the two a sly grin. Their eyes widened in realization and they shoot him a glare.

'Of course there is!' the two shouted in unison.

'But just now you said it isn't good to eavesdrop on someone's conversation and having too many children would cause a lot of discomfort for those who needed privacy?' he said and gave them an innocent look.

'That's because you tricked us!' the two yelled loudly.

'Hao-kun didn't trick you, you said it yourself.' Manta countered on Hao's behalf.

'Or could it be that… Aniki was too weak to defend for himself?' Yoh asked.

'Of course not! He's really strong!' Iria responded.

'He could crush you in less than a second!' Fuyuki added.

'Then Onii-chan must have lost a lot of power after the Shaman Tournament right Manta?' Yoh ignored them as he asked Manta who nodded in response.

'Argh! That's it!' Fuyuki and Iria yelled in unison and both shoved Hao onto Keiko's arm since she was the nearest Asakura.

'Yuu is not weak! We'll prove it to you Asakura Yoh!' Iria said as she glared at the young Asakura.

'Yuu! Make sure you go there ALONE!' they both yelled.

'Eh? But you said-'

'No buts! You're going whether you like it or not!' they walked away and silence engulfed the place.

'Things have sure worked out better than I expected.' Hao turned to Manta and Yoh and both gave him thumbs-up sign. They understood his tactics and had followed the lead.

'So, where are we going?' Hao walked towards his younger brother who blinked.

'Umm…actually Nii-san, it wasn't me who wanted to see you…' Yoh told him and he could have sworn his brother's warm and soft gaze turned really cold.

'It was Tou-san-'

'Yoh, I don't mind having any sorts of conversation with you and Oyamada but if you're going to ask me to talk with them...I'd rather not.'

'He just wants to-'

'Apologise? Why would he want to do that?' Hao turned to Mikihisa.

'Well…today I tried to hit you during-'

'Breakfast. So? I don't see the necessity of doing something like that.'

Silence once again engulfed the whole place…

'Eh?' all of them said in unison.

'You heard me. Now that we're done you may continue with whatever you're doing.' He turned and walked away.

'Wait.' Mikihisa grabbed his arm causing him to turn.

'I have a few questions. Why don't you mind and why are you helping us?' he asked and Hao blinked at the unexpected question.

'Do I have to answer all of it?' he asked catching the man off guard and causing the other Asakura's to fell over.

'For Great Spirits sake, yes! Now talk!'

'Firstly, you did try to hit me but it never reached its target because of Yoh. Seeing both sides are unharmed…why apologize?' he answered and Mikihisa and the other Asakura's looked at him in utter surprise. This kind of logic was **not** what they expected from him at all. Of course, they wouldn't mind if it was Yoh telling them that but for it to be Hao was the last thing they had ever expect.

'For the second question, I have no idea what you're talking about. That's my answer.' Hao continued.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

* * *

'**For the second question, I have no idea what you're talking about. That's my answer.' Hao continued.**

'At the pier…Why did you save us at the pier?' Mikihisa asked.

Hao didn't answer. Just when Mikihisa thought he wasn't going to get any answer from him…

'I did it out of your grandson's request.' Hao answered earning many confused looks.

'Can you let go now? I need to find Fuyuki and Iria.' He asked and Mikihisa immediately released his grip on his arm.

'Sorry.'

'It's fine. You don't need to apologize.' He said and walked away.

Fuyuki paced back and forth as he waited at the garden while Iria watched him in silence as the she sat on the grass. Both were beginning to worry for Hao.

'Argh! I shouldn't have said that!' Fuyuki yelled startling her.

'Hey! You're not the only one regretting of saying that alright?!' Iria told the boy. Fuyuki clenched his fists.

'ASAKURA YOH! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO SHIRO I WILL DO THIS!' he said and launched a fireball at a small branch which turned into ashes almost immediately. Fuyuki smirked.

'Fuyuki, you're not allowed to use magic unless necessary.' Iria said in a warning tone.

'It **was** necessary in order to release my anger.' He hissed and the girl sighed.

'I'm sure if Yuu have magical powers he wouldn't abuse his magic like how you just did.' She muttered under her breath.

'Fuyuki! Iria! Where are you?!' A voice called out surprising them. Fuyuki went to sit beside Iria and both of them pretend to sulk.

'Fuyuk--there you are.' Hao said and walked towards them but as soon as he sat between them they turned away from him.

'What's wrong?' he turned to them warily.

'Hmph!' the two turned away from him again.

He wondered what caused this when realization hit upon him.

'Ohh…Was it because of what I did just now?' he asked and received the same reply.

'Aww…come on…don't be so anti-social you two…I'm very lonely you know…' he pouted childishly and nudged them like a five year old boy. Out of a sudden, Fuyuki and Iria pounced on him.

'I don't care whether you're lonely or not! You're still going to be punished!' Fuyuki scolded him.

'We want strawberry tart with more icing sugar and strawberries!' Iria said in a childish tone and all three of them laughed at each other like best friends, which weren't really far from the truth.

Last time when both Hao and Fuyuki were living here they got along well with everyone especially Sara, Yukino, Kaoru, Shinichi, Iria, and the deceased Takumi. Normally, they would all sit together at the kitchen counter and ate some baked goods prepared by Hao with Shinagawa's guidance. Sometimes, they would go horse-riding with Nakamura guarding them and guiding them at the same time. Which explains to us why Hao had acted more friendly towards the two adults…

'Alright, you two go home and get changed okay? I'll be looking for some fresh strawberries at the forest over there.' He pointed towards the forest at the east side.

'Okay!' the two replied cheerfully and walked towards the opposite direction.

'Don't forget to tell the others especially Kaoru and Sara or they'll both get mad!' he yelled loud enough for them to hear before walking away. When he was sure he was alone, he reached out both of his hands and the grass underneath rose up together with its roots and formed a small basket on his hands.

'It should be big enough to fill the strawberries.' Hao said to himself and smiled before he proceeded to walk into the forest.

He walked down the dirt trail of the forest as he sang. The cold wind blew bringing his long mahogany hair to a gentle sway. Despite this, his eyes were searching through the forest carefully detecting every slight movement given by the wind dancing against the leaves of bushes and trees for the sake of his safety. After walking for around twenty minutes, he finally found what he had been wanting. He went towards the strawberry plant found and plucked out all of the strawberries but it was still insufficient. Seeing that there isn't any other strawberry plant around, he took his basket and continued walking down the trail of the forest without realizing the presence of the creature that had sneaked into the basket.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the outline of a human figure about 2 meters ahead of him. Out of curiosity, he approached the figure slowly, prepared for anything, and realized that it was a male and he was currently unconscious. He knelt down and inspected him for a moment. The man's eyes suddenly snapped open (but Hao had not noticed it) and he immediately grabbed Hao's wrist earning a startled yelp from the boy.

'H-Help me.' The man pleaded as his grip on Hao's wrist loosened.

'A-Are you alright?' he said as he shook him. The man opened his mouth to say something but found himself unable to do so as his throat was too dry to speak. Hao read his mind and cupped his hands before closing his eyes. Water slowly formed on his hands and he slowly reached his hand towards him so that he could drink some. He took a sip with a lot of difficulty and turned to Hao with an expression indicating he was suffering in pain.

'I-I need A-A-Achillea m-millef-folium.' he stammered.

'Achillea millefolium…h-how does it look like?!' he asked not knowing which plant he was talking about.

The man tried to speak but before he had even uttered a single word…

'Wait here, I'll go and get it for you.' Hao told him and ran away. He returned a few moments later with a small flowering plant on his hands. He knelt down and showed the man the plant he had been holding.

'Is this the plant?' he asked and the man nodded.

* * *

'_Sigh_…It's been almost an hour…' Fuyuki said warily.

'What's taking him so long?' Iria was getting irritated.

Just then, the door leading to the garden opened and they both stood up. Their hearts fell when they saw that it was the Asakura's and both of them sighed heavily. Sayuri immediately noticed the concern in their expression and was about to ask them when someone beat her to it.

'Is there something wrong?' Yoh asked earning glares from the two.

'It's none of your concern.' They both said and turned away from him.

'Iria! Fuyuki! Be polite to others!' Sara pouted.

'Stop acting like Yuu.' Iria told her while Fuyuki stared at the clock worriedly.

'Where's Nii-san?' Yoh asked after realizing the absence of his brother. Fuyuki turned to him for a moment.

'He went into the forest to pluck strawberries.' He replied.

'Why would he want to--'

'It's for making strawberry tarts.' They both replied and Kaoru beamed.

'STRAWBERRY TARTS?!' she said and squealed in delight.

'Wait, which forest did he go?' Tsuzuki asked.

'You know…the one at the east side of the farm…' Iria said and she could have sworn both Sayuri and Tsuzuki blanched.

'The one at the e-east side you say?'

'Uh…yeah.' She said and the two ran out immediately. Iria and Fuyuki ran out as well then followed by Manta, Yoh and the others. Yoh after seeing their expression he knew that it was a bad sign. A real bad one…

A few moments later they arrived at the spot where Iria and Fuyuki had been sitting with Hao before and coincidentally, Hao was coming out of the forest with a small basket on his hands. As if knowing they were there, he looked up and waved at them.

'Yuu!' Sayuri ran and hugged him causing him to drop the baskets and stiffen at the sudden physical contact.

'S-Sayuri-san?' He asked not knowing what was going on and she released him while Tsuzuki walked towards him and started checking his body as if he was wounded or something.

'W-What's going on???' Hao asked as he looked at the crowd that had gathered around him. Tsuzuki and Sayuri knelt down on one knee so that they were at eye level with the boy.

'Yuu, did anything happen when you're at the forest?' Tsuzuki asked and the boy shook his head deciding it was a better option to not tell them about what he encountered at the forest.

'Did you get hurt while you're at the forest?' Sayuri asked warily.

'Umm…no…'

'Yuu…next time if there's anything you want, just as the servants to get it for you and don't go into that forest again. Understand?'

'Eh? But I was just--'

'Yuu, we'll explain everything to you later. Right now, just tell us you won't go there anymore okay?' Sayuri asked and Hao thought for a moment before finally giving a nod. Both heaved a sigh as Hao walked towards the small basket he dropped and slowly picked up the strawberries that had fallen out of the basket on the way. Fuyuki and went and helped as he was relieved that nothing bad had happened on his brother.

'You got us all worried you know?' Fuyuki whispered silently as he picked up another strawberry.

'Sorry…' he replied and smiled apologetically at his lookalike.

The others stared at them in silent as they picked the strawberries. Keiko looked at his oldest son and thought of what happened moments ago. Pangs of guilt sank in as she thought of the moment when Sayuri had hugged him. In all of Hao's years of living, she had never hugged him. She only hugged Yoh…Yoh meanwhile gazed at his brother with relief. He had been so worried when Sayuri and Tsuzuki abruptly ran out of the kitchen. Suddenly, he thought he saw something inside the basket moving. He gazed at the basket for a moment but there weren't any movements at all.

**[It must be my imagination.] **Yoh thought to himself.

Just when Hao was about to take the basket, Yoh saw it moving again and this time it was for real. He tried to warn his brother but it was too late. A viper glided out of the basket and bit the nearest thing which turned out to be the fire shaman's hand. Hao reacted quickly by slicing his body into two with a knife he had been bringing but it turned out to be useless as the snake bit his leg instead.

'Damn it.' Hao hissed as he fell on his knees unable to support himself and the next thing he knew he was unconscious.

'Yuu!' a few voices exclaimed in unison.

'Shiro!' Fuyuki caught his falling brother and immediately launched a fireball at the whole basket setting it on fire. The serpent evaded the attack and fled from the scene. Everyone ran hastily towards the two except for Yohmei, Kino and Mikihisa who stood there rooted on the spot.

'Yuu! Yuu! Pull yourself together!' Iria gazed at Hao worriedly as she shook him.

'Iria, stop! We have to keep him still!' Fuyuki told the girl and she stopped.

'G-Get Nakamura-sensei…' Hao's barely audible voice told them shocking everyone. He's still awake?!

'We'll go and get him!' Manta and Yoh said and went towards the farm building.

* * *

There was a girl with a blond hair and blue eyes in front of him. She was plucking a bunch of flower. Somehow, she resembled Sayuri but Hao just knew it wasn't her. She was too young to be her and her hair was shorter. He continued sitting on a bench in a wide garden as she went further from him to pluck another flower that caught her attention. Suddenly, she turned and smiled before walking towards him.

'Hello, Asakura-san.' She said surprising him.

He might not know who she was but he recognized that voice.

'So it was you who warned me when Yoh was in danger in Izumo?' he asked earning a nod from her. (refer to chapter 20)

'My name is Hikari. It's really nice to meet you Asakura-san.' She said and smiled brightly.

**['Her mom had given her the right name.'] **Hao thought to himself.

'Why me?' he asked and she blinked in response.

'Why are you appearing in my dreams out of all people? There are many people who were much more experienced than me in this world.' He told her and she smiled.

**['As expected of Asakura Hao.'] **she purposely thought in her mind.

'Though I don't think what you said was correct. You're currently the only one who can help me with this.'

'You think I'll actually be able to help you?'

'Sure, you're the only person suitable enough for the work. Although I would have preferred Asakura Yoh's help more…'

'Then why don't you just go and haunt him in his dreams rather than asking me?' he told her as she sat beside him on the bench.

'That's because you're the most suitable candidate. Asakura Yoh was the best candidate when it comes to help but he lacked something I need in order to get what I want.'

'You shouldn't see it that way. He's pretty good at shamanism you know.'

'Yes, I admit that part but shamanism is not the something I'm referring to. That's why you're currently the best candidate of all.' She said and Hao blinked.

'What do you mean?' he asked and the girl stood up from the bench.

'That's for you to figure out.' She said and disappeared from the place.

Strong wind began to blew and everything turned pitch black. He heard some familiar voices saying something but couldn't make out what they are saying.

'Nakamura-sensei, Yuu's waking up!' Iria said and Hao's eyes slowly opened. He felt unusually weak.

'Mataku, how could you be so careless Yuu?! Thank god it was a dry bite, you would have died you know.' Nakamura said slowly as he took out a pair of stethoscope from a bag. Hao didn't respond.

'Now take deep breaths.' He told the boy who obliged. Then, he place down the stethoscope on the nightstand while Hao remained in bed looking at the ceiling and not saying anything. He felt too tired to say anything.

'Is Aniki alright?' Yoh asked and the doctor sighed. He had been asking the same question all the while which was a total nightmare in the doctor's opinion.

'I've told you a thousand times already for goodness sake. He's **fine**.'

'B-But he looked so pale and so…lenargic.' Yoh retorted.

'He's just too tired. It's not lenargic by the way, it's **lethargic**.' The doctor shot back.

'Shhhh…he's asleep.' Fuyuki hissed as he sat beside the bed and carefully stroked Hao's hair before pulling the sheets up to his neck.

'Let's leave. He needs a lot of rest.' Sayuri told them.

* * *

'A sacred forest?'

'Yes. It is said that the forest in the east of the farm was a sacred forest. It is said that something or someone with supernatural power lives there but no one had ever seen anything like it. Many people who went to pluck any fruit or herbs in that forest were said to have disappeared and some that managed to got out of the forest ended up dead after getting bitten by venomous snakes like vipers.'

'Then, why didn't you tell us before? We could have stopped him from going.' Fuyuki asked obviously angry with the man.

'We never thought any of you would go there. We thought it was irrelevant information. But now…' Sayuri told them and sighed.

'He's going to have to stay in bed for a few days because of our carelessness.'

'That's great news. He won't be causing trouble now that he has to stay in bed.' Yohmei said and they all turned to him.

'Hey! Why do you hate him so much?! What on earth did he do to you?! Kill your child?!'

'Iria! Be polite to others!' Shinagawa scolded.

'That's because he's a demon!' Yohmei retorted.

'Jii-chan, Aniki is not a demon. Aniki is Aniki.' Yoh countered.

'That's because you're too kind Yoh!'

'No, that's because you're blind.' Fuyuki said in an unusually provoking tone.

'HOW DARE YOU IMPUDENT BRAT!'

'Hmph…how small.' Fuyuki said and Yohmei's eyes widened in recognition.

'HAO!!!'

'You finally figured it out? Took you long enough…it's not all that surprising though. You are after all...blind.' he sneered.

'WHY YOU--'

'Wait, if you're Nii-chan then…who's the other Nii-chan?! Yoh asked and Fuyuki smirked.

'As for Shiro, I myself had no idea since he was nameless and so, I named him Shiro Asakura. His other name is Yuuji Yoshifumi also known as Yuu which was used when he was living here after the tournament between you and me.'

'Hao, what do you mean he was nameless?' Mikihisa asked. Hao smiled wickedly.

'It simply means…he had no identity.' he replied casually. Yoh stared at his brother.

'Hao, Shiro told me that you're both born when I gave you the last blow at the tournament? Was it true?' Yoh asked using an entirely different tone.

'Of course, Shiro doesn't lie. He's a very good boy. **Just like you.**' Hao said and Yoh's eyes widened in realisation.

Hao clapped his hands as he read his twin's mind.

'Bravo! You have managed to figure it out Yoh.'

'So it was really you!' Iria exclaimed surprising everyone.

'That's right. The one they all despised was none other than…me. Shiro was just dragged into the mess.'

'I knew it! All the while he was being used!' Iria glared at the boy.

'I didn't use him. He did it out of his own free will.'

'WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!' Yohmei yelled as he was getting confused. A strangled sob caught everyone's attention.

'The boy whom you called demon…' Yoh said without turning to his grandfather. Tears uncontrollably rolled down his cheeks.

'The boy whom you nearly hit this morning…' Yoh didn't turn to his father either.

'That boy…was my supposed twin brother.' He said finally shocking everyone who was listening.

'That is correct. Shiro was your supposed twin brother Yoh.' He stared at Yoh.

'Your supposed oldest son.' He turned to Keiko and Mikihisa.

'Your supposed oldest grandson.' He turned to Yohmei and Kino.

'and also your supposed brother-in-law.' He turned to Anna who clenched her fist. She really wanted to punch him for not only bringing sadness to his fiancée, but to his supposed brother-in-law as well.

'The moment you're both born into this world, you're both a new being. However, I came. At first, my victim was you.' He looked at Yoh who looked down his leg as he sat on the wheelchair.

'We fought for a body but you managed to push me apart and took a small portion of my soul. Therefore, I proceeded to the next victim which was Shiro. This time, I didn't or I refused to give him a chance to fight. I consumed his soul and made him a part of myself.' Hao said and all of their eyes widened.

'How could you Fuyuki!' Iria yelled.

'All the while, he lived as a part of my soul. However, after you inflicted that last blow on me, he was separated from me once more. I could control him at first but after he met you, the one who gave him the chance to live in this world, he began to seek for his own freedom and that's when I lost control of him.' He said and Yoh's head perked up in surprise.

'He was now a new being that was having his own soul, power and strength to defend for himself. He was a strong being that had surpassed even you. So strong I could no longer make him a part of myself anymore…' Hao said. A memory drifted in his mind as he said those words.

'_Fuyuki!' Shiro called out and the boy turned to the source of voice._

'_Shiro! Over here!'_

_The boy saw him and walked towards him before sitting beside him on the edge of a cliff. For a moment there was only silence. Shiro raised his hand and a dove perched on his fingers. He began to stroke the white pigeon with his hands. Slowly, white pigeons started to gather around the two boys. Fuyuki looked over his brother and smiled. This was mainly why Fuyuki chose to name him Shiro. Those white-colored birds are always around him whenever he sees him._

'_Have you seen the person I asked you to see?' _

'_Yeah…Asakura Yoh right?' he said as he stroked the bird._

'_Ah…So, what do you think of him Shiro?'_

'_He's too laid back for a shaman.' Shiro replied casually and Fuyuki laughed._

'_What about his friends and his fiancee?'_

'_The Itako was pretty admirable since he could make that boy do whatever she wanted despite his laid-back self. Horohoro was too impulsive while Faust is all lovey-dovey with his Eliza. Ryu was loyal to his masters and was a pretty good cook based on how he prepared the dishes. Still, he's too old fashioned and Chocolove was a not-funny-joke-making-weirdo. Tao Ren's too violent and Lyserg Diethel's too begrudging when it comes to the word Hao.'_

'_What about that human?' Fuyuki asked._

'_Oh, Oyamada Manta is kind of a good friend and sort of an encyclopedia addict. Why do you ask me all of this? I thought I was only supposed to watch Asakura Yoh?' _

'_Just wanted to hear some of your opinions that's all.' _

'_Why?'_

'_Do I have to answer?'_

'_Yes, all of it.'_

'_You agree with me that all humans deserve to die right?' Fuyuki asked the boy._

'_Honestly, I don't.' he replied blatantly shocking him._

'_What did you just say?' Fuyuki asked coldly but it doesn't seem to affect the boy like how it usually does. Normally, he would have flinched at the tone of voice used._

'_I said I honestly don't agree.' He repeated shocking him once again. _

_Fuyuki looked at the boy in shock. What happened to him? Why have he changed so drastically? He never spoke to him that way. He had always obeyed him and agreed with his decision._

'_Shiro--'_

'_Fuyuki, I supported you on your plans of creating a shaman kingdom but I honestly do not agree that all humans deserved to die. You can beat me, scold me, or even consume me if you want but right now, I'm telling you this. No matter what you decide to do, you will still be my brother __**first**__ before you're the person who threatens to annihilate all humanity and eat my soul or dominate me. That is why I supported you all the while.'_

_Fuyuki slapped him hard on the face and the birds flew away altogether._

'_Don't you ever talk to me like that! Understand?!' Fuyuki said as he pulled him up by the collar._

'_I've never talked to you in such a way.' He replied as if it was the most natural thing on earth._

_Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he clutched his neck before suspending him on the edge of the cliff. He smirked as he watched the boy gasped for air._


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

* * *

'_**I've never talked to you in such a way.' He replied as if it was the most natural thing on earth.**_

_**Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he clutched his neck before suspending him on edge of the cliff. He smirked as he watched the boy gasped for air.**_

'_You've become really daring Shiro. If I don't teach you a proper lesson, you'll become troublesome in the future. Let's see how far you can remain alive in this position.' He said and tightened his grip on the boy's neck. _

_However, he stopped gasping and just remained calm as he stared at his lookalike with an unreadable expression which pissed him off to no end. He threw him and his back hit a tree trunk. He remained on the floor with his hair sprawling all over his face. He walked towards him and knelt on one knee before pulling him up by the hair. The boy still gave him a blank stare._

'_Don't underestimate me, Shiro. I can still consume you just like how I did when we're in your mother's womb.'_

'_Not anymore Nii-san, not anymore…' _

'_Are you trying to test me?' Fuyuki said and reached out his hand towards his torso but the boy caught his hand tightly. He tried to pull back but it won't even budge._

'_Fuyuki, I told you before, you'll always be my brother __**first**__ before you're the person who threatens to eat my soul or dominate me. Even if annihilating humanity is not something I wanted, I'll still give you my fullest support. Still, I won't give up my soul like how I did in the past because…I have my own freedom to choose what I want…and I want to stay and continue with my living because...I want to stay with Nii-chan. This is what I learnt when I was watching over the laidback Asakura.' Shiro told him and released his grip on his hand before he faded into unconsciousness. Fuyuki looked at the limp figure in utter surprise. _

'_**You'll always be my brother **__**first**__** before you're the person who threatens to eat my soul or dominate me. Even if annihilating humanity is not something I wanted, I'll still give you my fullest support. Still, I won't give up my soul like how I did in the past because…I have my own freedom to choose what I want...and I want to stay and continue with my living because…I want to stay with Nii-chan.'**_

_His gaze softened as the words echoed in his head. A person who was even more gentle and innocent than Asakura Yoh had appeared and surprisingly, that person was his actual older twin, Shiro Asakura. He lifted him up gently and placed his head on his chest as he watched the scenery of the city in front of him._

'_I'm sorry Shiro.' He whispered and stroked his hair. From that day onwards, he lost the will to destroy all humanity._

'I already told him everything he needed to know so whether he was going to accept you or not it's all his decision. As far as I know he had already accepted Yoh as his younger twin.' He said and turned to Yoh who was wiping his tears.

'What about Kaa-san and Tou-san?' Yoh asked.

'I'm not really sure of them. He only told to me about you, the Yoshifumi's and its staff, Luchist, Opacho and Tanma.' He said and Manta blinked.

'Me?' Manta pointed to himself.

'Yes, he said you're a really good friend of Yoh and a very hardworking student.' Hao said and he blushed.

'By the way, can I ask you one thing on Shiro's behalf?'

'Um...it should be fine…I guess?' he was a little uncomfortable since it was Hao who would be asking this question.

'The encyclopedia…Isn't it a little heavy for a boy like you to hold?' he asked and Manta fell over.

'Sorry, he's just too curious that's all.' Hao said and laughed cheerfully.

Yoh blinked at Hao. He was laughing?! The others blinked as well. Was it their imagination or did Hao just said sorry?! Hao read their mind and cleared his throat trying to stop the laugh.

'Hey, don't need to give me that look alright? Everyone will change from time to time. Plus, I've been living with a boy as innocent as Shiro so it's almost impossible for me to not change over time.' He said earning incredulous stares from them.

**[Does that mean…he no longer hated humans?]** They thought among themselves.

'Unfortunately, yes. I've lost all my will to annihilate those stupid humans while I was living with Shiro.' He answered and their jaws dropped. Yoh blinked at first but a smile slowly creased his lips as the words slowly registered his mind.

**['Aniki, you're amazing.']** Yoh thought to himself and smiled feeling really proud for his twin brother was able to do something in which he had not been able to do in the past. He was able to reach his ancestor's cold heart.

'Anyway, you guys should start calling him Shiro from now on. Shiro Asakura is after all, his true name.'

'No it isn't, you gave him that name. His true name was supposed to be decided by the parents so yours doesn't count.' Tsuzuki retorted.

'Really? Then, Yuuji Yoshifumi didn't count either. You're not his parents.' Hao countered.

'Well, the Yoshifumi might not count but the name Yuuji is still acceptable.' Sayuri shot back.

'Then Shiro Asakura was acceptable as well.'

'Asakura-san, which name did you two preferred out of the two, Yuuji or Shiro Asakura?' Tsuzuki asked Keiko.

'Umm…uhh…' Keiko looked at his husband for help.

'This whole thing is kind of sudden so…we haven't thought about it…'

'Then, why don't you choose his name for him now? I preferred Yuuji.' Iria interrupted.

'No, I preferred Shiro more...' Hao told them.

'No one's going to give him any names! We the Asakura's will choose a suitable name for him on our own.' Yohmei told them.

'Jii-chan…' Yoh sweat dropped.

'Oh really…then I as his ancestor and brother have the right to decide his name as well. Too bad for you Tsuzuki-sama.' Hao said teasingly.

'Hey! We have the right too! We're once his adopted parents!' Tsuzuki snapped.

'What's going on down here?' a voice interrupted and they froze.

'S-Shiro, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?'

'I _was _sleeping at first Fuyuki but you were all talking so loud I couldn't get back to my sleep.'

'Oh…sorry to bother your sleep Yuu…We were just talking about something.' Tsuzuki said and Shiro's eyes narrowed. His gaze travelled to every person in the room and stopped at Hao who began to sweat.

'Fuyuki, I don't know what happened in this room few moments ago but somehow, I had a hunch you did something guilty.' Yoh was about to tell him something when Hao clamped his mouth.

'O-Of course not! You're thinking too much Shiro!'

'Oh, is it so? Then, why are you clamping his mouth? Could it be that...' Shiro's eyes narrowed and he looked at him straight in the eye with piercing eyes. Silence...

'Alright! I'll tell you so stop giving me that stare already! It's creeping me out!' Hao finally said.

'Okay.' He said and smiled.

'_Sigh_…the thing is…I--'

'Yuu, the ingredients for the strawberry tart is ready.' Shinagawa interrupted and Shiro turned to her.

'Thanks Shinagawa-sensei.' He said and smiled.

'_Sigh_…didn't I tell you not to call me sen--'

'STRAWBERRY TARTS?!' Kaoru squealed causing the whole room to shake and everyone closed their ears.

Kaoru rushes towards Shiro and was about to give him a hug when he suddenly darted to the left causing her to fell flat on her face instead.

'Umm…We'll do the talk later Fuyuki…' he said and quickly exited the room.

* * *

He inspected the finished tarts from every angle before going to the next few.

'Hmm…why do I feel like something is missing?' he asked himself and turned to Shinagawa who smiled.

'Who knows? Maybe it's because you're a perfectionist?'

'No, it's just that…my instincts were never wrong and its telling me I'm supposed to add something…'

'You think too much Yuu.'

'There must be something wrong with it.' He said and continued inspecting the tarts.

Suddenly, they heard a slam followed by a loud scream saying 'I want to eat strawberry tarts!'. Shiro and Shinagawa both sweat dropped.

'Why don't we just call it…a day?'

'_Sigh_…what exactly was it?' Shiro said as Shinagawa took the remainder of the strawberries that was placed on a bowl and placed it back on the fridge. Shiro looked around the room and realization dawned upon him when he saw a packet of sugar.

'That's it! Caramelized sugar!' he said as he took out a stove and added some water and sugar on it. Then, he turned on the stove and placed the pot on top of it and started stirring it.

SLAM!

Shiro and Shinagawa turned to each other.

'Oh-uh…' they both said in unison. Kaoru and the others appeared at the doorstep of the kitchen.

'Shiro, what took you so--gyahhhh! So many strawberry tarts!' she said and rushed forward but before she could grab any of it, Shiro caught her hand.

'Wait! I'm not...done yet!'

'But I want it now!' Kaoru said and tried to stretch her hand further as Shiro tried his best to refrain her from doing so.

'Just…five more minutes…Kaoru…'

'No, I want it now!' she said.

Suddenly, a shiny brownish liquid flowed down onto the strawberry tart Kaoru was trying to snatch. Shiro looked up at Shinagawa who was pouring the caramelized sugar onto another tart. He then turned and saw Kaoru staring sadly at the strawberry tarts. He sighed when he read her mind.

'The caramel cools down really fast so you can take one if you want Kaoru.' He said and she turned to him in shock.

'Really?!'

'Yes.'

'Gyahhh!' she greedily took a bite out of the tart and beamed.

'It's delicious!' she said and Shinichi went and took one of the tarts as well but before he could take one…

'If you lay a finger on those pastries, I'll make sure this be the first and the last time you'll ever get to eat another pastry.' Shiro told him in a threatening tone and he sighed in defeat.

'Alright then, everyone…let's go now or we won't be able to eat any of the tarts.' He said and Kaoru stopped eating and immediately shoved everyone out of the room.

'We'll be waiting at the hall!' she said cheerfully and walked away.

'Mataku, always eating in the kitchen…' he said and shook his head before taking out a plate. He blinked when he heard a small laugh.

'What's so funny?'

'Nothing.' She said and smiled.

'Well, I'll be going to the hall then.' he said and walked away. A few moments later, a squeal is heard.

* * *

'Gyahhh! Itadakimasu!' Kaoru took a bite from the tart.

'So, what have you been talking so loudly about?' he asked and Yoh could have sworn Hao and the Yoshifumi's blanched.

'N-Nothing in particular!' Shinichi announced and all of them nodded. Shiro raised an eyebrow.

'Nothing in particular?'

Hao looked at Yukino for some help to distract the boy who is now throwing dagger looks at them.

'Kaoru no!!!' Sara yelled as she ran away from Kaoru who was chasing her for her tart. They all stared at them and sweat dropped.

'There they go again…the running duo.' Shinichi said was about to take one tart only to find the whole plate empty.

'EH?! She finished the WHOLE PLATE?!'

'I didn't even get to eat one…' tears rolled down Yoh's cheeks like twin waterfalls.

'Well, good thing I am always prepared.' Hao said and gawked when he saw his plate empty and shiny.

'Y-YOSHIFUMI KAORU!' Hao exclaimed.

* * *

Two taxis stopped in front of the gate where the Asakura's and the Yoshifumi's were standing.

'It's been really nice to meet you Mr. Asakura, Mrs. Asakura. We hope to see you again soon.' Tsuzuki said and shook hands with Mikihisa.

'We thank you for letting us stay for the previous night.' Yohmei said and they bowed.

'No. It's our pleasure to have met you.' Sayuri smiled at them.

'Well, I guess this is goodbye then.' Hao told Yoh and Manta. Shiro remained quiet.

'Both Yoh-kun and I will come and visit you two again when we have time.' Manta told them.

'_Sigh_…in the end, I didn't manage to eat any tarts Shiro-nii made…' Yoh said and sighed again when Hao's face blanched and Shiro blinked.

'Yoh, what did you just call me?'

'Shiro-nii. Why do you ask?'

'N-Nothing in particular.' He hissed as he glared dangerously at Hao who sweat dropped.

**['Asakura Hao, you have a lot of explaining to do after this…']**

'**That's a really bad sign…'** Hao thought to himself. Shiro then turned to Yoh and shoved a package onto his hands while he handed a similar package to Manta who took it.

'It's for you and your family.' He said and Yoh blinked.

'It's _our_ family.'

'No, it's _your_ family.'

'_Our_ family.'

'_Your_ family.'

'_Our_ family.'

'_Your_ family.'

Their debates became louder and soon everyone turned to the two boys.

'What's going on?' Keiko asked and the two stopped and turned.

'Shiro-nii won't admit us as his--'

SMACK!

'IIIIITAI! What was that for?!' Yoh pouted.

'Gomen, my hand itched and suddenly moved on its own. Hora, don't scowl, it doesn't suit you. Smile a little.' He purposely pinched his cheek hard as he pulled up his cheek so that it would form a smile.

**['Itai...']** Yoh thought to his brother who was now glaring at him. No one else noticed this as his back was facing them. Keiko and Sayuri exchanged glances and smiled.

'Would you like to come to Funbari Onsen with us?' Keiko asked Sayuri.

'EH?!' Shiro and Hao exclaimed in unison.

'I'm not sure…'

'I want to go!' Kaoru said cheerfully.

'Me too!' Sara followed.

'Well, it sounds pretty fun so I'll go too.' Shinichi continued.

'I don't mind going anywhere.' Yukino told them.

'Well, I think it should be fine then. It's there any objections?' Tsuzuki asked.

'Of course there is! It's Funbari Onsen you're going!' Hao retorted.

'Come with us Hao-nii, it's going to be fun.'

'Yeah! We'll be arguing the whole day long!' Hao said and Yoh smirked.

'**I knew you'll say that…' **he thought to himself and turned to Shiro.

'Shiro-nii…Hao-nii doesn't want to go to Funbari Onsen…' Yoh gave a teary face and Shiro sweat dropped.

'_Sigh_…What do you want?' he asked and Yoh's face lightened up. He obviously wanted something from him.

'Well, since Hao-nii doesn't want to go, I thought you could at least go on his behalf.'

'Absolutely NO! You're going with me Shiro! We're going back to the shrine!'

'Please…just this once okay?' Yoh gave him a puppy look.

'No!' Hao said and Sara suddenly went and hugged Shiro.

'Come with us, Yuu-nii! It's going to be fun!' Sara said cheerfully as she looked up at him.

'That's right! That's right! Come with us! We're going to have a lot of fun together!' Kaoru said.

'Uh…'

'Pleaseeeeeeeeee………' Yoh, Sara and Kaoru made puppy looks.

'NO!'

'Fuyuki, it's a three out of one battle…' Shiro said and gave him an apologetic look.

'Are you going to leave your brother?' he said in a sad tone shocking everyone.

'Wait, that's not what I meant!' he ran towards Hao. Kaoru and Sara exchanged glances and nodded while Yoh blinked in confusion. Then Kaoru abruptly pulled Shiro's hand while Sara pulled his shirt causing him to turn.

'YUU-NII! Don't leave us!!!' they said and pulled him.

'Uh…I…uh…' he turned back and forth from his brother to the two girls.

'They're really good actors.' Manta said as he watched the scene in disbelieve.

'Ahh…but it makes my job much easier.' Yoh said and grinned.

'Asakura Shiro!' a cold voice called out and all of them froze.

SMACK!

Kaoru and Sara covered their mouth with their hands in shock while Yoh and Manta's face turned pale. Anna tied Shiro up with her 1080 beads.

'Where do you think you're going? You're one of my workers in Funbari Onsen so you're going back whether you like it or not. Your new additional task is to take care of Yoh until the day the wound on his leg is fully recovered. Understand?'

'Sigh…fine fine Okami Anna.' He said and everyone stared disbelievingly at the girl.

'EH?!'

'YAY! Yuu-nii will go!' all three said in unison.

'Hao-nii, are you sure you're not going?' Yoh asked.

'Who said I'm not?' he glared at Yoh and turned to Anna who was dragging the tied up Shiro towards the car.

'Hey Itako! Don't drag my brother!' Hao yelled as he ran towards them.

'Hehehe…things have sure worked out better than I expected.' Yoh said and grinned.

* * *

Two love birds sat on the rooftop of Funbari Onsen clasping their hands together as they stared into each others eyes.

'Eliza…'

'Faust…'

'Eliza…'

'Faust…'

'Eliza…'

'Oi! Faust! Help me with the cleanings will you!' Ryu yelled at him causing him to look down. However, he only gave him a wave and continued seeing his precious Eliza which kind of pissed Ryu off to no end.

Suddenly, two boys ran out of the house and into the garden. They were non-other than Ren and Horohoro.

'**I wonder where Danna Yoh and Okami Anna went?' **Ryu thought to himself. Yesterday he suddenly received a call from Anna telling him that they'll be back by tomorrow. No other info was given to him.

'Hey! Shark head! It this all you got?!' Horohoro said and Ren's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

'How dare you?!' he swung his Kwan Dao at the blue haired boy but he dodged it in time.

'Sigh…I better continue with my work. If Okami Anna sees any dirt when she comes back, we'll be in trouble.' Ryu said as he remembered what Anna had told him.

'_Once I got back, make sure the whole house is clean or else…there will be **hell** to pay…'_

That thought made him shudder.

'Ryu-san, we've cleaned the room upstairs.' Macchi said.

'Oh, then can you three can go and prepare the ingredients for me? We won't know when Danna and Okami Anna will be back.'

'Okay.' The three bowed and left.

'Sigh…if only Hao is still here, he would have done most of the work in split second.' He said and sighed as he went in the house.

Just then, Faust suddenly jumped down of the roof causing him to turn. At the same time a limousine stopped in front of Funbari Onsen and Ren and Horohoro stopped with whatever they are doing and the Hanagumi came out of the house to see what was going on. All of them stood in the entrance as the driver went out of the car and opened the door behind. The Yoshifumi's came out and Ryu's eyes and hair turned into the shape of hearts when he saw Sara, Yukino and Kaoru. He went towards them and presented a bouquet of flowers which appeared out of thin air.

'My name is Bokuto no--'

SMACK!

'Don't you dare lay a finger on them pervert.' Yukino told him as Sara hid behind her.

The door of the two taxis behind the limousine opened and Anna and the Asakura's stepped out of the car.

'Okami!' Ryu exclaimed. Anna then forcefully dragged Shiro out of the car using her beads.

'Hao!' All of them exclaimed.

'I'm over here.' another voice interrupted and they froze. They slowly turned to the limousine and saw another Hao standing there waving cheerfully at them.

* * *

**To SodaOneChu and other readers:**

**I know it's a little confusing about the 'supposed' twin part. Actually, in this story, Shiro and Yoh was twin brothers but then because Hao had the ability to reincarnate, his soul went inside Keiko's womb. Still, he need a body to came back to life and so, he fought with Yoh for his body but he failed and Yoh managed to take a small portion of his soul. Then, he went to his next victim, Shiro. He couldn't afford to lose to him like how he did with Yoh and so, he ate his soul and took his body. Then, at the shaman fight when Yoh gave him the last blow, he turned into half (but in this fanfiction the half turned into two body) and Shiro came back to life because his soul was at one of the new body.**

**I hope I didn't confuse you more and please review...  
**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

* * *

'**Hao!' All of them exclaimed.**

'**I'm over here.' another voice interrupted and they froze. They slowly turned to the limousine and saw another Hao standing there waving cheerfully at them.**

Horohoro rubbed his eyes and looked at the waving Hao before looking at the tied up Hao.

'REN! I SAW TWO HAOS! THIS WORLD IS GOING TO END!' Horohoro exclaimed and Ren smacked him in the head.

'Urusai, there is no such thing as two Haos! One of them must be Yoh!'

'I'm right here guys.' Another voice interrupted and they turned to the taxi and saw the other Hao carrying Yoh on his back.

'Yo!' he grinned and waved to them as Hao who was carrying him walked towards them. All of them stared at him in disbelieve.

'REN! I SAW TWO HAOS!' he said and the next thing he knew he was being knocked unconscious by Ren.

'YOH! WHAT IS GOING ON?!' Ren yelled as he took out his Kwan Dao and pointed at Shiro's direction.

'Calm down, Ren…'

'D-Danna, what happened to your leg?' Ryu asked.

'and how come there were two Hao-samas, Yoh-sama?' Macchi asked.

'We weren't seeing things are we?' Mari asked.

'We'll explain everything later. Right now it's best you all go and serve our guests.' He said and turned to the Yoshifumi's.

* * *

'No way…He was your supposed real brother?!' Horohoro pointed towards Shiro who gave him a blank stare.

'Well…yeah…'

'That's impossible! He's so antisocial and quiet! Look! He won't even smile at anyone!' he said as pointed directly at him.

SMACK!

'I'll be going outside.' Shiro said and left.

'Ouch…even his slap is more painful than your fiancee's slap.' Horohoro clutched his cheek.

'Serve you right Boroboro.' Hao said and snickered.

'It's Horohoro!'

'You're really are something Hao. You turned him into your guinea pig.' Ren said and smirked.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Hmph, he wouldn't refuse to speak to anyone out of no reason. The only logical reason for his antisocial behavior is because he already knew he wasn't welcomed here. In other words, he already met us. If I wasn't mistaken, from the beginning the Hao we met wasn't you, it was him.'

'Yup, that's right. You're pretty sharp Ren.' he said and Ren smirked in response.

'With all the hatred we shown on him who we mistaken as you, it wasn't surprising he refused to interact with any of us. That way, he would always remain attached to you. A good deal isn't it?'

'I wouldn't totally agree on that one. Shiro might not interact with most of you but he still interacts with Tanma and Yoh. Plus, I don't have the ability to control him. That's why it wasn't impossible for him to not get along with you unless you never wanted to get along with him.'

'By the way, what is your family doing with the guest in the other room? Why wouldn't he let us in?'

'They wanted to pick new names for Shiro.'

'Pick new names? Why would they--'

'That's because the name Shiro was given by me. His other name Yuuji was given by the Yoshifumi's so in a sense, he didn't have a name because he was never born 15 years ago. He only came to life after Yoh inflicted the final blow on me.' Hao explained and they stared at him incredulously. Just as they were about to shoot him with many questions...

_ushi tora no kanata yori umareshi mi nareba_

_yami no uchi_

_iku-dama, ashi-dama, shini kaeshi-dama_

'Did you hear that?' Horohoro asked as they listened attentively.

_oni mochi ni kazari aka iro no tate hoko wo matsure_

'That sounds like…'

_oira ka ni mukaibi tsuke yaki shirizokete_

_yami no uchi_

'Shiro…'

_uzu no ki, hiiragi, nuritenoki_

_ri ga hi ni otsureba kuro iro mono matsure_

'Manta, could you push me to the garden?'

'Oh…okay.'

'I'm going with you.' Hao told him.

'Me too.'

They all turned to Ren who was drinking his bottle of milk. He placed the now empty bottle on the table and wiped his mouth before turning to them and said...

'I'm not really interested but I'll go.'

_mahoroba wa "yasuraka na ramu" kashin fuu_

_ayakashi tote to hore totemo kakutemo_

Meanwhile, Sara was having her meal with Yukino in the dining table.

'That voice…' Sara said and exchanged glances with Yukino. Then, they both stood and went out of the room.

_miyama ki ni "kochi fuki madofu" kakumo gato_

_asa fumasu ramu ikite mimu tame_

'Anata, did you hear that?' Keiko told his husband who nodded.

'Ahh…very clearly.'

_okusoko no ne no kuni yori araware idete_

_yahiro hoko_

_iro koku someta himo de shibari_

_sora yo kakeri ikamu kishin ni michi nakuba_

Yoh and the others arrived and saw Shiro sitting on the verandah with white colored birds surrounding him. One of the birds perched on his shoulder as he gently stroked another bird that was perching on his finger. Yoh was about to go nearer when Hao stopped him. He looked up and Hao shook his head in disapproval. Just then, someone placed their hand on his shoulder and he turned. It was Keiko and the others. Apparently, Shiro's singing had brought everyone here.

_sagashimi to "miyama kashikomi" waga na dzumi_

_kono yo naru ma wa yamu to kimonashi_

_ame tsuchi wo "ushihaku kami no" ara mitama_

_kokoro enmu yamo hitori shi omoe--_

'Achoo!'

His voice trailed off as all the birds suddenly flew away. He turned and saw everyone looking at him before turning to glare at Horohoro. He slowly stood up and dusted of the dirt of his clothing.

'Gomen, did I interrupt you all?'

'Not really.' Yoh and Hao said in unison.

'Ne, Yuu-nii, how come I've never heard you sang before?' Sara asked curiosity getting the best of her.

'I don't know either.' He said and walked away.

'Shiro.' Anna called out and showed him a long list of grocery ingredients.

'I want you to buy all of them and come home in 1 hour.'

'Sure.' He shrugged and took the list.

'A-Anna, isn't the time a little bit too…short?'

'He'll be fine. He does things very quickly.' She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

'I'll be going then.'

'Wait, I'll come with you!' Hao said and wore his shoes.

'Nii-san, I want to go too!'

'No need. You'll only be a burden if you go there Yoh.' Anna said bluntly and Yoh gave her a wounded look.

'We'll be going then.' the two said and ran out of the house. Silence then built up until...

'Ne Okami Anna…'

'What is it Ryu?'

'How are they supposed to buy anything when you didn't even give them any money?'

Silence once more engulfed the whole place…

SMACK!

'Why didn't you tell me earlier?!' Anna fumed as Ryu cringed in fear and before he knew it he already fainted.

'Anna…calm down…'

'Manta, you go and find them!'

'Eh, why me?!'

'I'll go.' Keiko told them and all turned to them.

'Are you sure Kaa-san? Nii-san might not accept your help you know…' Yoh told her mother.

'It'll be fine. Didn't you always say everything will work out?'

'Well…yes…but still--'

'Then, it should be fine.'

'Uh…'

'Don't worry Yoh, I'll go with her.' Mikihisa told his son who blinked and smile.

'Alright, be careful on the way then Tou-san, Kaa-san.'

'Be careful Keiko, Mikihisa.' Kino told them.

'We will.' They said and walked out of the house.

'Ryu, when are you going to wake up?!' Anna gave Ryu a kick on the stomach and everyone sweat dropped.

* * *

'What else do we need?'

'Hmm…I think that's all.' Shiro checked the list on his hands and scanned the contents in the trolley.

'How long did we take to pick out all the grocery?'

'We already spent a total of 31 minutes and 45 seconds. The cashier will probably take 15 minutes to scan all the ingredients so we only have a total of 14 minutes to get home in time.' Shiro said as they walk towards the counter.

'I see. So, how much money did you have right now?'

'Currently I brought 5000 yen. Why do you ask?'

'That's because you didn't ask any money from the Itako. Even though we have money it doesn't mean you can spend it so randomly.'

'Well, I am sure Luchist can help us when it comes to the finance problems. After all, he owns a huge company in England and he sponsors us with lots of money every month.'

'Well, Tanma can help Yoh and Anna when it comes to the finance problems as well. Plus…you only spend your money on buying things that were necessary so most of the remaining of your money is being kept in the account Luchist opened for you.' Hao retorted.

'Same goes for you and Opacho.' Shiro shot back.

'The total amount is 3821 yen.' The cashier said as she finished scanning the stuff. Shiro took out his wallet and gave her the money before taking the packet of groceries.

'Still, why do you spend your money on something so irrelevant? You've never spent more than 2000 yen at once.' Hao said and shook his head.

'It's fine. I hardly spent my money on buying stuff anyway.'

'Of course, you're always wearing the same old clothes and using the same old stuff. If we don't need to eat in order to survive, you probably wouldn't have bought anything at all.'

'Hey.'

'Alright, alright, I'll stop.'

'Anyway, we need return to Funbari inn or else Anna will get--'

_Crash!_

'Shiro!' Hao ran towards the boy.

'IIIItai…' he rubbed his head as he stood and picked up the stuff that fell out of the grocery package.

'S-Shiro?' Keiko called out and he looked up.

'Oh, it's you two.' Shiro and Hao said in unison.

'You bought the groceries already?'

'Umm…yeah.' Shiro replied hesitantly.

'H-How did you manage to buy all those when you didn't even have money?'

'We have our own ways.' Hao said and walk passed them.

'Let's go Shiro. The itako would get angry if we didn't get back in time.'

As they walked away, Keiko lowered her head in sadness. Mikihisa placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked up and smiled. Her husband is always there to support her.

'Excuse me?' Shiro interrupted startling them but they managed to remain their composure.

'I know I'm not supposed to ask but...where are you two going?'

'Actually, we're here to give you the money to buy the...groceries.'

'I see...Do you want to go home with us then?' he asked. Mikihisa and Keiko exchanged glances before giving a nod. Shiro then walked towards Hao's side while the two watched them from behind.

'Hao-sama! Shiro-sama!' a cheerful and familiar voice called out causing Hao and Shiro to turn to the source of voice.

'Opacho?' Shiro and Hao said in unison.

Opacho hopped towards her master with a kitten running behind her. It was when she was close enough only she realized the presence of the two other Asakura's that were blinking at her in surprise. She began to stare at her master warily when Shiro smiled at her.

'Don't worry Opacho. They already knew about it.' He said as he knelt on one knee and patted him on the head.

'Eh? They knew about Shiro-sama?'

'Yes. Unfortunately they already knew about it.' Hao replied nonchalantly.

'By the way, what are you doing here Opacho? Where's Luchist?'

'Luchist is going to France to attend a meeting remember?' Hao interrupted.

'Oh yeah, I forgot about that…'

'Anyway, we should get going by now. We wouldn't want the Itako to slap us do we?'

'Okay.' Shiro placed down the packet of groceries and carried Opacho over his shoulders before lifting it up once more.

'S-Shiro, you're not telling me…you're taking him back with us are you?' Hao said and Shiro blinked.

'Of course I am. Where else would I be taking him?'

'Are you out of your mind? That Kyoyama Anna won't let her in.' Hao said sarcastically.

'But if we leave her like this she'll be very lonely. Nobody likes to be lonely and that includes Opacho and you.' he said as he pointed at Hao.

**'I hate it when he do that...' **Hao thought to himself and he could have sworn Shiro gave him a smug expression before turning to his back.

'That Itako is going to shove her out you know.'

'Is that so? Then I'll just stay with her outside the inn ne, Opacho?' Shiro looked up at the little girl who nodded and he continued walking.

'Mataku…' Hao shook his head before continued walking. That personality of his always reminded him of Yoh.

As Shiro and Hao walked together, they would talk with Opacho who was being carried on Shiro's shoulder. The two older Asakura's that were behind them merely watched them in silence. A few moments later they all arrived at Funbari Onsen.

'You're late!' Anna's eyes narrowed as she stared at the trembling Opacho on Shiro's shoulder.

'What is _that_?' she pointed at Opacho.

'She's scary…' Opacho's eyes turned teary as she said those words.

'_That_ is not her title. Her name is Opacho and she's a human so don't call her _that _**Anna**.' Shiro retorted and glared at her.

'Oh no…Nii-san…h-he just talked back at Anna…' Yoh stammered.

'He even called her by her first name…' Manta stuttered.

'He even glared at Okami…' Ryu said nervously.

'He's doom…' all of them said in unison said as they stared warily at the two.

'He won't.' Hao interrupted and all turned to him.

'How do you know he won't?!' all of them asked in unison.

'Just wait and you'll see.' Sayuri said and smiled.

'Hmph…who do you think you are, calling me by my first name and bringing someone here without my permission?'

'Yes, I might have brought Opacho here without your permission but that doesn't mean you can just treat Opacho like that. Not to mention she was your ex-worker.'

'Don't you dare talk back at me! I'm your Okami!'

'Yes, in a sense you are but right now I'm not talking to you as a worker, I'm talking to you as myself and I'm telling you I don't like it when you call Opacho _that_.'

Anna raised her hand and attempted to slap him when he suddenly caught her hand.

'HE STOPPED ANNA'S SLAP!!!' all of them exclaimed in shock.

'You forgot something…' Anna said and her left hand twitched. She raised her left hand ready to give him the legendary left slap when he shot up his hand and caught her hand.

'I still have my left was it?' he asked and silence engulfed the place.

'HE EVEN STOPPED HER LEGENDARY LEFT SLAP!!!' everyone exclaimed in unison.

'Speaking of worker…here's your groceries.' He said and shoved the package of grocery into her hands before walking away with Opacho.

'Shiro-sama…' Opacho said and Shiro looked at the girl who was sitting on his shoulders before smiling.

**['You don't need to call me Shiro-sama, Shiro will do.]** he thought to her and she blinked in confusion.

**[We'll talk later okay?']** he thought to her and she nodded hesitantly.

'H-He just walked away from Anna? Like that?!' Horohoro said disbelievingly.

'and he stopped his slap twice…'

'He even shoved the grocery bag into her hands…'

'**He's so cool!'** all of them thought among themselves.

'H-How dare he walked pass me?' Anna said through gritted teeth and a deadly aura radiated from her.

'I think it's time to run guys!' Yoh said and all of them ran away from the place.

* * *

The next day…

'Shiro! I want you to run 200 kilometers with Yoh now!'

'200?! But Anna-- '

'NOW!!!' she demanded and Yoh cried as they both ran out of the house.

'Yoh-dono…' Amidamaru cried as he was being tied by Anna's beads.

'**That'll serve as revenge…'** Anna thought and pulled Amidamaru into the house.

* * *

A few hours later of running…

'Ahh…I'm so tired…'

'Gomen Yoh, I didn't know it would drag you into this matter.'

'It's fin--ack!'

'Yoh!'

'Itai…' Yoh said as he stood.

'Yoh, this is already the third time you tripped. Are you alright today?' Shiro said without realising that there was a tinge of worry in his voice.

'I'm fine…but--' Yoh's voice trailed off as his stomach growled loudly. He grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Shiro looked at him and sweat dropped.

'Yoh-kun! Shiro-kun!' a voice called out and they both turned.

'Oyamada-san? What's he doing here?' he shifted his gaze from Manta to Yoh.

'He's waiting for us. He always accompanied me when I go for my daily run.'

'Oh…I see.'

'Yo!' the younger twin greeted at his best friend.

'So, how many more kilometers you two need to run?' Manta asked and Yoh's smile was immediately struck off his face.

'118 kilometers…' he said as stream of tears ran down his cheek.

'Eh?! Wasn't it 100 kilometers per day?'

'Yes. Usually it was 100 kilometers per day but unfortunately because of what happened yesterday, Anna decided to let out her rage by increasing the distance of the run.'

'I see…it must be difficult for you both…' he said and gave an apologetic smile.

'No. I'm fine with it but for Yoh…' he turned to Yoh who was still crying.

'**I felt pitiful for him…'** Manta thought to himself.

_Growl…_

Yoh blushed furiously as Manta and Shiro looked at him with a huge sweat drop appeared at the back of their heads.

'Sigh…come on, we're going to buy you something to eat.' Shiro said as he walked away.

'Shiro-nii, no! Anna will definitely kill us!'

'She's not here so you don't need to worry about it.' He retorted.

'B-But there are spirits guarding us! They'll tell Anna everything!' Yoh countered.

'Wah! They're going to report to Anna!' Manta yelled as the spirits of Funbari Onsen floated away from them. Suddenly, Shiro chased after the spirits holding a string of beads that appeared from god-knows-where and tied them up almost immediately.

'**T-That's the same method Anna used to tie Amidamaru.' **Yoh and Manta thought among themselves as they looked at the long haired shaman in surprise.

'Oi, spirits. If you dare tell anything to Kyoyama Anna I'll send you all to the depths of hell. Got it?' he said as a deadly aura radiated from him.

'**Kowai…'** (Notes: It simply means 'scary' but I preferred Japanese words because it sounded a little bit weird in English…) Manta and Yoh said as they blanched. The trembling spirits nodded vigorously and Shiro released them.

'So, can we go now?' Shiro asked snapping them out of their thoughts.

'S-Sure!' Yoh said nervously. Hao frowned as he read their minds.

'What's there to be so scared about? I'm not Kyoyama Anna even though I can use the exact same spells and also, I don't order people around. Mataku…I think you're both too frightened of her…'

'**More like you're too brave…' **they thought in their minds and Shiro sighed.

'Whatever.' He said and jogged away. They followed behind him shortly after. Silence enveloped them as they jog.

'Ne Shiro-nii…'

'Yes?'

'After the shaman tournament, you lived with Hao didn't you?'

'Yeah, why do you ask?'

'When you lived with him, did he ever torture you?' Yoh asked and his brother stopped in his tracks. Manta nearly fell out of his bike. Shiro looked at him with a very confused expression.

'What's…torture?' he asked and Manta and Yoh blinked.

Just when Yoh was about to answer, Shiro's expression suddenly turned serious and he looked towards another direction. Yoh and Manta followed his gaze and saw a suspicious person approaching them. The person was wearing a coat in which the hood covers his face.

'It's been a long while hasn't it Yuuji-kun?' the person said.

Yoh was about to ask Shiro what was going on but before he could even utter a single word his brother had pushed him and Manta into the bushes and darted backwards successfully avoiding three sharp arrows that replaced their previous standing position.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I'm so happy today because I just got the result of my test and I found out that I passed with flying colors! Hooray! All those hardwork had finally paid off...Anyway,please review and I wish you all MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Here's an extra part dedicated for you readers...  
**

**'Shiro nii! Hao-nii! Wake up!' an all too familiar voice called out. Hao groaned and turned away from his identical twin while Shiro rose up from his bed and looked at him for a moment before toppling back to bed. Yoh pulled the blankets away from the two.**

**'5 more minutes...' They said and continue to sleep even without the blanket.**

**'Onii-chan! You're not supposed to sleep so long! Today is Christmas day!' Yoh said and Hao immediately jolted up from bed and turned to the direction of the clock. It was 25th of December.  
**

**'What's that?' Shiro looked at the younger boy having no idea what christmas day was since he had never celebrate it before.  
**

**'S***! I totally forgot!'**

**He stood then pulled the back of Shiro's collar and dragged him out of the room into the bathroom before slamming the door shut. Few moments later, Yoh heard a scream coming from the bathroom. **

**'Hao must have turned the cold water on full blast to awake him.' Yoh thought to himself.  
**

* * *

**'Are you ready Shiro-nii, Hao-nii?'**

**'Almost...' Hao said as he stared at the mirror for the umpteenth time.**

**'Come on, we're going to be the last one to wish them.' Yoh whined.**

**'Okay, I'm done.'**

**'Let's go.' Shiro told them as he pulled up his hair into a ponytail and tie it with a rubber band.  
**

**'Finally.' Yoh sighed.**

**The walked up onto the stage when Ren and the others turned to them.**

**'Took you long enough. We've been waiting for fifteen minutes.' Ren said coldly.**

**'Gomen Ren...I had a little problem waking them up.'**

**'Are you going to stand there all day?' Shiro said as he was already standing on the stage with the others.**

**'Coming...' Yoh said and stood in between Anna and Shiro. Silence then engulfed the whole place...**

**'Now what?' Anna asked.**

**['Yoh, your supposed to say something called speech of some sort.'] Shiro thought to Yoh.**

**'O-Oh yeah! I forgot...' he said and scratched the back of his head.**

**'Just skip the crap and start already.' Ren said.**

**'Okay.'**

**'Ahem Ahem...to all our readers of this fanfiction, we wish you all Merry Christmas.'  
**

**'Merry Christmas.' everyone said in unison and bowed.  
**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

* * *

**Yoh was about to ask Shiro what was going on but before he could even utter a single word his brother had pushed him and Manta into the bushes and darted backwards successfully avoiding three sharp arrows that replaced their previous standing position.**

'What do you want?'

'Why are you acting so serious? I just wanted to give you a little visit.' she said innocently.

'Actually, I'd rather not see you again Kotone.'

'That's not a very nice thing to say to your Onee-sama you know?'

'O-Onee-sama?' Yoh said and the two turned to him.

'Is that your brother? My my, he looks just like you.' She said and was about to walk towards Yoh when Shiro held out his katana and launched an attack on her. She darted to the right and successfully evaded the attack. Shiro ran towards Yoh and Manta before standing in a defensive position.

'Your combat skills have improved a lot Yuuji-kun.' She said as she pulled her cloak and threw it aside revealing her true self.

She had a long, black flowing hair that matches her eye color and she wore a black blouse and a knee-length white skirt. She smiled at them and held out a glowing crossbow attached to her hands. He pointed the arrow towards Shiro.

'Let's make a deal. If I win this battle, you'll have to come with me.'

'What if I win?'

'You won't, because I'll definitely be the winner.' She said confidently and shot an arrow towards Yoh. The arrow began to split from one into two and then from two into four and the process continues as it reaches closer to its target.

'YOH-KUN!' Manta yelled as his eyes bulged out.

'Wow! Manta look, it's like a meteor shower!' Yoh pointed at the arrows and Shiro pulled the boy out of the way before the arrow shoots him.

'Are you out of you mind? You would have been killed you idiot!' he smacked his younger twin on the head.

'Sorry, but I was too fascinated I forgot it's fatal.' He said and scratched his head.

'Yuuji, is that really your brother?' the woman who went by the name Kotone stared at the boy with disbelieve.

'What are you talking about? Of course I am his brother! Who else could I be?' Yoh pouted and the woman stared at him incredulously.

'How could you be that carefree and stupid when you're actually the brother of that devi-' she trailed off as she had just realized Shiro was just right behind her.

'That's because he's a long lost brother I just knew.' He said and sent her flying in the air. After that, he gave Yoh a thumbs-up sign indicating that the plan had worked perfectly.

**['I'll fight her alone so you two get out of here while you have the chance.'] **Shiro thought to the two without turning to them.

**['Okay, be careful Nii-san.'] **Yoh told him and ran away with Manta.

'Looks like now it's only you and me.' Kotone said as she slowly stood and threw her bow aside before holding out a sword.

* * *

Hao poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. Opacho looked at his master worriedly.

'So, what do you want to talk about?' he placed down the cup of tea and his gaze traveled around the Asakura's who were staring at him with distrust, hatred, and fear. The Yoshifumi's had gone out when Anna suddenly banged the room door in which Hao was temporary living in saying that the Asakura's would like to talk to him. Meanwhile, Yoh's friends and the workers in the inn were all shoved out of the house by the itako and were waiting outside the house.

'Hao, we would like you to give us back what was ours from the beginning.' Mikihisa started.

'Excuse me? I'm not sure whether you're drunk or something Mikihisa but for your information, I haven't taken anything from you in the freaking first place.'

'You don't need to act like you don't know anything Hao. You know very well what we meant.' Kino retorted. Hao gave them an innocent look.

'I'm so sorry Kino but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.' Hao replied in a mocking tone as he placed his elbow on the table before resting his head on his palm. Yohmei's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he slammed the table startling Tamao who stood between Yohmei and Kino.

'Stop acting like you don't know anything! Give Shiro back to us!'

'Oh…so that's what you're referring to…Sorry, I'm afraid I can't.'

'Why you-' Mikihisa gestured for his father to stop but before he could speak, someone cut off his speech.

'Asakura Hao, stop acting like a brat and straight to the point will you? I have to shove Ryu and the others out just to talk to a moron like you.' Anna said coldly.

'You can shove me out if you want. I'm sure Shiro would be very _pleased _to know it.' He mocked and this time Anna's hand twitched. Suddenly they heard a loud slam and a loud 'don't go in there danna!'

'Hao-nii! Hao-nii!' Yoh's desperate voice called out. As he slid open the door, he bent down and gasped for air. Manta did the same thing.

'Sh-Shiro-nii…he's-'

'-in trouble. I know.' Hao said and took another sip from his tea.

'Aren't you going to do anything at all?' Manta said and continued gasping for air.

'Nope. It isn't necessary.' Shiro said from behind startling the two and they fell on the floor in surprise.

'Mataku...Took you both long enough to get here. Honestly, I can't believe you've just arrived.'

'IT WAS US THAT COULDN'T BELIEVE YOU'VE JUST ARRIVED!' Manta and Yoh exclaimed loudly causing Shiro to wince slightly. Suddenly, Yoh looked at his brother's clothing and gasped. There was an unearthly wound at his shoulder and blood stains covered his clothes here and there.

'Onii-chan! Your shoulder's-'

'Don't worry. I'm fine. I just need a little bandaging.' He said and walked towards Hao before taking a small sip from Hao's cup of tea. He exchanged glances with Hao for a moment and Hao immediately know he wanted to talk to him later.

'Thanks for the tea.' He set down the cup and walked out of the room.

'Nii-chan, wait!' Yoh stood and grabbed his unwounded arm causing him to turn.

'I'll help you with the bandaging.'

'It's fine. I can do it myself.'

'But-'

'It's fine. Besides, it's not the first time I get wounded.' He said but before he could leave Yoh grabbed his arm once more.

'I said, I'll help you.' Yoh insisted and for a moment there was only silence.

'Fine, but only after I'm done taking my shower.' Shiro finally replied. Yoh released his grip on his hand and gasped once more when he saw a large gash behind his back which was partially hidden by his clothing.

'Nii-san! Your back!'

'Oh, during the battle she used her oversoul to increase her running speed so I couldn't dodge the attack in time.' he said as if he wasn't suffering from any injury at all.

'That's not the point! We need to get you bandaged immediately!'

'What about my shower?'

'Forget about the shower!' Yoh pulled him by the wrist and dragged him out of the room.

'But I-'

'No but! If you don't get bandaged your wounds will get infected!'

In an instant, they were already out of the room leaving the others in silence. Hao smiled in amusement.

* * *

'Is it painful?' Yoh asked as he dabbed the iodine onto the wound on Shiro's back.

Shiro merely shook his head and the younger boy frowned in concern. He had obviously dabbed too much iodine yet his brother had not shown any reaction at all not to mention this was the fourth time already. Normally, someone would have at least hissed in pain. He remembered after the incident between Ren and his father, he decided to help Ren with the bandaging and Ren had been hissing in pain during the process. There were a few times when he dabbed too much iodine and Ren would yell 'ITAI!' at his face as he poked him with his hair. Shiro turned to him when he realized nothing had come in contact with his skin after a few minutes.

'What's wrong?' Shiro asked snapping him out of his thoughts.

'It's nothing. I'm just reminiscing about the past.'

'I see.' he said and turned away letting him continue with his work. Yoh placed down the cotton ball and started bandaging his body.

'You know, you should have let me take my shower. If you did, you wouldn't need to do the bandaging for the second time now.'

'It's fine. I was the one who said I wanted to help.' Yoh continued with the bandaging.

'Still, wouldn't it be really wasting to bandage me twice?'

'It doesn't matter. As long as you'll recover, it'll be fine. Even if we run out of bandages, we can still buy a new one.' He said and silence enveloped the two.

'Sorry about what happened.' Shiro said and Yoh immediately knew what he was referring to.

Half an hour ago after Yoh had bandaged his wounds, Shiro decided to go and take a shower but Yoh had refused to let him saying he shouldn't be taking a bath at least until later. Shiro then snuck into the hot spring later only to be caught by Yoh once again. They argued with each other and slowly it got louder which soon attracted everyone's attention. As they fought, Ryu who had been standing in the middle trying to stop the fight stepped onto something and fell down pushing Yoh into the hot spring. Yoh immediately grabbed the nearest object which was, to his misfortune, Shiro. Then, both Shiro and Yoh were then forced to take a bath by Anna. Hence, the two ended up taking a bath together at the hot spring. When they were done, Ryu, Faust, and Yoh's other friends were forced to clean the massive hot spring which had been stained by Shiro's blood.

'Just by saying sorry wasn't going to change anything.' Ren interrupted. The two turned and saw Ren leaning on the doorway.

'You can't blame everything on him though. He wouldn't have fallen if Yoh hadn't grabbed his shirt.' Hao retorted as he appeared behind Ren.

'I'm not talking to you Hao.' Ren glared at him.

'You just did Ren.' Yoh and Shiro said in unison earning a glare from him.

'So, how was it going?' Hao turned to the two.

'We're almost done with the bandaging.'

'I see…how much longer will it take?'

'Approximately 5 minutes or so.'

'As soon as you're finished you are free to do whatever you want here. After you're done with it we'll be heading back in 30 minutes.' Hao said as he stared at the clock.

'Where are you two going?' Yoh said as he poured himself a cup of tea.

'We are going back to the shrine.'

'But don't you want to stay here a little while longer?' Keiko asked disappointedly as she walked into the room. Shiro looked at her with an almost surprised expression.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.' Shiro said as he stood.

'Would you mind having a walk with me Nii-kun?' Shiro said and Yoh spat out his drinks.

'Nii-kun?'

'What? He's older than me right? Plus, he already told you everything so I don't need to pretend as Asakura Hao anymore.' Yoh merely grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. It's the first time he had actually heard his brother call Hao 'nii-kun'.

'So, where are we going?'

'You're both not going anywhere.' Anna interrupted the two boys who turned to them with questioning gaze.

'What do you mean?' the two asked simultaneously.

'Today we'll be going to the amusement park and Kino-sensei wanted me to ensure that you are coming with them as well.' Anna directed his gaze at Shiro who frowned.

'Sorry, but I'm not interested in going to such a childish place.'

'I knew you'll say that. Fine, I'll just use Opacho as a substitute. Ryu!' She called out and Ryu held up a trembling Opacho with teary eyes.

'Opacho!'

'Hao-sama…Shiro-sama…' Opacho wailed.

'Give her back!'

'Whether I'm giving her back to you depends on your actions and behavior. It's either you obey me, or you'll never get to see her again.'

* * *

Shiro glanced boringly at nothing in particular as he had his elbow on the windowsill of the car with his head rested on his palm. Manta and the Asakura's could only stare at Shiro in silent. The whole limousine had been silent ever since the journey had begun. The Yoshifumi's knew something really bad must have happened when they were out. They wanted to ask Shiro about it but they knew they couldn't. Not when he was radiating a deadly aura that indicated 'do not disturb or I'll kill you.' It had been so long since they last seen him with that blue aura around him.

'Ne Yoh-kun, did something happen while you're in the kitchen?' Manta whispered to Yoh.

'Yeah…Shiro-nii and Anna had been arguing…'

'We're here.' Hao told Shiro who went out of the car almost immediately. Small clinking sounds were heard as he walked away and Yoh noticed something shiny that was hanging on his waist before realizing it was a keychain. It's was one of the present that he gave him during his birthdays. However, he also noticed that beside the keychain there were two small bells and that was where the clinking sounds were emitted. However, the bells are in a terrible condition and it made Yoh wonder why his brother is still keeping it. He then watched his older brother tied his hair in a ponytail position as his gaze travelled around the place. The place was crowded and noisy as the people walked in and out of the place.

'It's too crowded.' Hao said as he stared at the place with boringness since his hatred towards humanity has already faded long time ago.

'Of course it's crowded, its amusement park you're talking about!' Kaoru said cheerfully.

'What's so amusing about amusement park anyway? It's even noisier than the fish market.' Shiro said bluntly causing all of them to laugh.

'That's because they're having a lot of fun!' Sara replied cheerfully.

'Don't worry Shiro, we know you've never been to an amusement park so we understand.' Shinichi teased and he blushed.

'Shut up.'

'Anyway, we better get going now. Not all of us here are patient people.' Hao said.

'Okay!' Kaoru and Sara replied in unison.

As soon as they entered the park, Shiro and Hao's expression become gloomier (if that's even possible.) They started walking past the crowd boringly as they listened to Kaoru and Sara who were debating on which game to play first. Suddenly, a huge crowd not far from them caught Shiro's attention.

'Nii-kun, what's going on there?' Shiro pointed at the direction and Hao shrugged.

'Who knows…probably some crappy stall with more games.'

'Games? Let's go and check it out!' Kaoru pulled Shiro and ran towards the crowd. Sara immediately followed.

However, as soon as they glided through the crowd and arrived at the front, what they saw was something totally unexpected. A boy was being beaten up by a group of tall, strong men and a girl could be seen at a side with her long, straight silver hair was covering her face. She was sobbing as she was being held by one of the men that was slightly bigger size than the others. He was probably the leader of the group. Sayuri who arrived and saw the event that was occurring immediately covered Sara's eyes. Knowing her mother was there Sara turned and held onto her mother tightly.

Suddenly, the girl managed to break free from the leader's iron grip but before she could run the man grabbed her arm and slapped her so hard she fell on the floor. The leader raised his hand once again but this time with a steel pipe on his hand and was ready to land a hard blow on the girl. The girl brought her arms up to defend herself.

A startled yelp resounded in the air followed by many gasps. Shiro was now standing in front of the man with his hand grabbing the wrist of the man effortlessly stopping his impending blow. Not only the audience, his comrade and he himself were also shocked and couldn't believe what they were seeing. A boy even younger than the one that they had beaten was preventing him, the almighty leader of the group from budging with only one hand. Shiro looked up to the tall man with a cold expression.

'Please stop this fight. We're in an amusement park, not a wrestling arena.'

The man looked at the boy in disbelieve.

'Who do you think you are?' he raised his voice thinking it would scare Shiro away but it had given the opposite effect. Shiro's expression became colder and the man began to sweat despite the cold wind blowing. Of course, the man was not going to show him that he was frightened. He raised his free hand and attempted to hit Shiro.

'What an idiot…' Hao and Yukino said in unison as they shook their heads. Yoh and the Asakura's blinked at them not knowing what are they talking about. It didn't take them long to find out why though…

Shiro caught his other hand and lifted him up before throwing him down on the floor with ease. After that, he stepped on his manhood and the man screamed in agony.

'You were saying?' he asked as if what he was doing were really normal.

'Ouch. It must have hurt a lot.' Yoh said as his manhood turned limp.

'Not to mention he was wearing sandals…' Manta said as his face turned pale.

'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?' he yelled.

'No. In fact, the one who's insane was you. Who in this world fights in an amusement park anyway?'

'WHY DID YOU CARE?'

'That's because my mood had been terrible and you've just made it worse. Now apologize and leave.' He said and gave his manhood a kick.

'Arghhhhhhh! You're f******g crazy!'

'That's not apologizing. That's cursing. Do I even need to teach you how to apologize?' He said and this time he kicked him in the stomach.

'Well, in order to apologize, you need to tell the person I am sorry I hit you and I won't do it again. It's as simple as it sounds so go and apologize.' He said and gave him another kick.

'LIKE H*** AM I GOING TO APOLOGIZE!'

'Pardon me?' he glared at him and his body started radiating a deadly aura.

'ALRIGHT! I'M SORRY! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!' he said repeatedly.

'You're apologizing to the wrong person.' He said through gritted teeth and the man quickly ran towards the two and knelt in front of them before bowing at them repeatedly.

'I'M REALLY SORRY FOR HITTING YOU AND BULLYING YOU! SO PLEASE ASK THAT FREAK TO LEAVE ME ALONE!' he said and received a smack on the head.

'Don't say it so loudly in front of a girl you idiot.' He said as if he was an adult teaching a five year old how to behave.

'I-It's okay! W-We forgive you!' The girl stammered.

'THANK YOU!' the man said and shook her hand before running away like a bullet train. Shiro turned to his other comrades and smiled at them. All of them immediately went towards the two and did the same thing except that a few even kissed the girl's shoes.

'WE'RE REALLY SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE US!' they said repeatedly.

'I-It's fine. Y-You can leave.'

'THANK YOU!' all of them exclaimed in unison and bowed a few times before running away as well. The crowd then dispersed and everything was back to normal.

'**He's scary…' **Yoh and Manta thought among themselves.

'Let's go. We don't have all day.' Shiro walked away and small clinking sounds were once again heard as he walked away.

'Yuuji?' the girl called out in a surprised tone and Shiro blinked before turning back to her with a surprised expression. The two made an eye contact and they looked at each other in surprise.

'Karin?'


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

* * *

'**Yuuji?' the girl called out in a surprised tone and Shiro blinked before turning back to her with a surprised expression. The two made an eye contact and they looked at each other in surprise.**

'**Karin?'**

'The total amount is 2880 yen.'

Karin and his brother gawked. They couldn't afford to buy these clothes at the moment. Shiro sighed as he took out his wallet and handed the cashier 3000 yen.

'Thank you. Please come again.' The cashier said and bowed.

Then, he took the bag and handed it to the siblings before they walked out of the shop where everyone is waiting for them.

'Aren't you both changing now that you've bought the clothes?' Hao asked as he stared at the bags.

'There's no room for them to change. We need to find a restroom. Any ideas on where the restroom is?' Shiro asked and received a moment of silence in response.

'Great. Now we'll have to find the restroom.'

'Eh? But we haven't even started playing!' Sara and Kaoru pouted.

'Then you should just go and play without Sh-Yuuji.' Hao countered with ease and the two looked at him in silence.

'I think we'll go on our own. We have already caused a lot of trouble to you both.'

'You're not causing any trouble to us Haruka.'

'Fuyuki, if you kept insisting on being with us they won't be able to play.'

'That doesn't matter. We can always come again another time.'

'Actually, I would rather not come here again. I don't like this place so right now you're actually helping us.' Shiro replied nonchalantly and both Sara and Kaoru gave him a wounded look which he chose to ignore it. Haruka gawked at him while Karin and the others stared at him in surprise.

'You hate amusement park?' they asked in unison.

'Yeah…' both Fuyuki and Shiro replied. Karin and Haruka exchanged glances with each other before turning to smile at them. Haruka took hold of Shiro's arm and started walking away from the place.

'Amusement park isn't as bad as you think Yuu. I'm sure you'll change your mind when you started playing the games.' Haruka chuckled and Shiro blinked in response. Suddenly, he pulled his arm back.

'Before that, we need to find a restroom.' He said as he eyed the torn clothes.

'Sigh…fine, but you need to promise me you're going to play with us.'

'Not in a million years.'

'Aww...come on, it's not all that bad. Please?' he pleaded.

'No.'

'Pleaseeeee...'

'Sigh…fine fine!'

'Alright!' Kaoru and Sara cheered as they all started walking.

'By the way, can I ask you something Yuu?'

'Sure.'

'Umm…Who is he?' he stared at Yoh.

'Oh, that's my younger twin Yoh.'

Silence engulfed between them…

'Did you just said…_younger twin_?'

'Yeah, is there anything wrong with that?'

Silence engulfed the place once more.

'You've got to be kidding me! You said you're an orphan and you have no relatives!'

'Well, that's because I never knew I had one until a few days ago.'

'What?'

'Anyway, we should get you both changed first so interrogation comes later.'

'Sigh…fine, promise me you'll tell me everything after this alright?'

'Fine but before that, answer my questions. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in America?'

'I was in America but a few days after you and Fuyuki left the school, our campus was burnt down by a mysterious fire during midnight. Thank god the hostel were still under construction, else many students would have perished in the fire.'

'That doesn't explain why you're here Haruka…'

'I'm not finished yet Fuyuki. Coincidentally, our parents were requested to transfer to Japan a few days before the fire due to business purposes. They didn't tell us about it because they were planning to do it when they were done with the transferring procedures. That is until that incident occurs of course. That's how we both ended up in Japan.'

'I see. So, which school are you going?'

'They haven't decided on which school we're going yet but I hope we'll be in the same school because then I'll get to be your best friend just like when we're in America.'

'You're Shiro-nii's best friend?' Yoh asked a little surprised.

'Yeap, I'm Shiro and Fuyuki's best friend all right. We are real close friends and are always helping one another just like brothers. When it comes to study, Shiro and Fuyuki were my senpai but when it comes to combat fighting and shamanism, both Fuyuki and I were Shiro's senpai. Fuyuki on the other hand was good at everything.' He said and chuckled.

'Wait, d-did you just say…shamanism?' Manta asked.

'Aww come on, you don't need to act so normal. I know most of you all are shamans except for you. You only have the ability to see ghost.' He turned to Manta.

'So you're a shaman then?' Keiko asked.

'Of course we are. Shamanism is what brings the all of us together, right Karin?' he asked her sister who nodded.

'I see. Shiro must be really fortunate to have you as a friend. Ne Shiro?' Keiko smiled. Shiro only blinked in surprise but regained his composure quickly.

'Whatever.' He said coldly and paced up his steps. Haruka and Karin looked at him in surprise. Why was he so cold towards her? Meanwhile Keiko looked at his older son sadly and sighed.

'Excuse me, but what is your relationship with Shiro?' Karin asked and silence was the only response she gained.

'He's our son.' Mikihisa answered in Keiko's place earning expressions of disbelieve and surprise.

'If you're his parents then who are you?' Haruka asked the Yoshifumi's.

'And why hadn't you go and find him in America?' Karin continued.

'The truth is…we never knew he existed until a while ago. The Yoshifumi's were his adopted parents.'

'Are you sure you never knew about his existence?' Haruka asked as his expression turned serious.

'Yeah…unfortunately, we never knew…until Hao told us.'

'So…you only knew when Fuyuki told you about him.' Haruka asked and received a few nods.

'We thought by bringing him to an amusement park he would at least-' Yoh was abruptly cut off.

'-open up to you a bit more?' Haruka and Karin finished in unison earning nods from the Asakura's.

'I see.' Haruka said as he placed his hand on his chin.

'Haruka-kun, you're Shiro's good friend right? Can you think of an idea to help us?'

'Hmm…I do have an idea but I can't guarantee it'll work. Want to try?

* * *

Everyone half-screamed and half laughed out loud as the roller coaster glide down the rail. Hao stared at Yoh who was obviously enjoying the ride before shifting his gaze towards Shiro that was sitting beside him. He was the only person that had remained silent during the ride.

'So, what do you think of the ride Shiro?' Sara asked.

'It's too boring.' came the monotonous reply.

'Sigh…exactly what isn't boring to you other than culinary arts and horse riding?'

'Who knows…getting out of this place?'

'No way! We're not even done playing yet!'

'Just wait and see Yuu! I'll definitely make you love amusement park so you better prepare yourself!' Sara said and dragged him towards a nearby booth.

'Sigh… the whole plan will be ruined if we couldn't find anything that could distract him. If only there's something that could caught his interest.'

'Looks like Shiro's best friend were already out of ideas.'

'Of course not, I have millions of ideas but I need to distract him first before I could carry out any of it. Why are you always calling Yuu Shiro anyway?'

'As for what I want to call him, it was none of your concern. Also, do you really think he'll actually open up to them just like that Haruka? Have you forgotten how much effort you put in just to make him talk to you?'

'Well…uh…we won't know until we try right?'

'Fine, if that's what you think. I'm absolutely 99% sure he's not going to open up to the Asakura's other than Yoh. Though he would still talk to Manta-'

'You pronounced my name correctly for the first time!' Manta exclaimed.

'Idiot, he was only pretending he can't properly remember your name because he want to see how long will it take for us to realize his real iden-' Anna's sentence was abruptly cut off by a screeching sound of a mike.

'Ahem Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, the exhibition of the world gemstones will begin in five minutes.'

Shiro who was ahead of them suddenly stopped in his tracks. Hao, Karin and Haruka did the same. The three exchanged glances and turned to the Yoshifumi's who were wearing the same serious expression which confused the Asakura's. They nodded to each other before turning to Yoh.

'Change of plans. We're going to the exhibition.'

'Does that mean…Shiro-nii likes…gemstones?'

'Not really. It's more like we might be able to find something we've been looking for.'

'What do you mean?'

'That's none of your business Yohmei.'

'Anyway, if we don't get going Shiro's going to leave us behind.' Haruka turned to Shiro who was already very far from them.

'Fine.' Yohmei growled and walked pass them with Mikihisa and Keiko behind him.

After few moments of walking, they arrived in front of a building with a 'world gemstone' sign where many people we're already waiting outside.

'Woah…Who would've known a mere exhibition would attract so many people?'

'That's because what you're about to see are gemstones from all over the world.'

Haruka, Karin, Yoh and Manta froze. They recognized that voice.

'YOU!' Yoh and Manta exclaimed. Karin, Haruka and Hao quickly stood in front of Shiro and the Asakura's can only stare at the scene in confusion.

'Why are you here Kotone?' Haruka asked coldly.

'Sigh…seriously you guys are no fun at all. You people are always acting so serious whenever I saw you.'

'Of course, you attacked my brother after all.' Hao retorted causing her to turn.

'Hao, it's been a while since we've last met. How are you?'

'Fine as always and actually, I'd rather not see you again Kotone.'

'**That's the same phrase Shiro used this morning…' **Yoh and Manta thought among themselves.

'That's not a nice word to say to a person older than you Hao.' Another voice interrupted as Shiro felt a pair of arms wrapping around his neck from behind causing him to stiffen. The person then leaned her head on his shoulders.

'Shiro!' everyone (except Yoh's parents and grandparents) exclaimed.

'So, how have you been Shiro-kun?' Shiro shifted uncomfortably.

'Would you mind letting go now? It's really uncomfortable and your head's too heavy for my shoulder to support.'

'Ouch, that's so cold.'

'I'm always cold Akane. You just never knew it.'

'Attention ladies and gentlemen! Prepare to be amazed!' everyone shifted their gaze towards the stage.

'Today what you're about to see are jewels that had been brought from all places across the world and bla bla bla…'

'They just won't go straight to the point don't they...' Shiro sighed.

They continued with the speech for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.

'and so, the exhibition officially starts now!'

'I guess we'll have to get going. Meanwhile, let's see who finds _it_ first.' Akane said and the two girls walked away confusing Manta the Asakura's to no end. Yoh didn't know why but he had a really bad feeling about what they had just said. Shiro went in and the others merely followed.

'Ne Shiro-nii? Wha-'

'If you're going to ask me what did they meant just now I advised that you better not because I'm not going to tell you anything.'

'Sigh…I don't like being left in the dark you know.'

'Sorry, we can't do anything about it. This issue is only between us and them so it's best for outsiders like you to stay away.' Haruka explained as they stared at a blue gemstone through the glass covers.

Suddenly, a loud roar silenced the whole building. The entranced was burst open and there stood a weird looking creature. Everyone screamed and the whole building turn into a huge chaos as they quickly rushed out of the building through the back door.

'Let's go!' Hao yelled and all of them headed towards the back door. When they got out of the building, they realized all of the rides and stalls were already empty as if it was already closed.

'Is there anyone else in the park besides us?'

'Please spare me!' a voice begged.

They turned to the source of direction and saw a man being held up by the creature. By the looks of his clothing, he was an archeologist.

'Where's the gem?' the creature said and shook the trembling man who quickly dig his hand into his pocket. Then, he took out a piece of star-shaped gem and handed it to the creature. Yoh and Manta gapped.

'That creature can talk?' the two exclaimed and the creature turned to them. Shiro and Hao smacked the two.

'Idiot!'

The creature smiled so broadly showing his big, sharp razor teeth.

'That's some really huge teeth!'

'Run!' Haruka exclaimed.

After taking the gem, the creature threw the already unconscious archeologist away before running after them.

'Gyahhh! What are we going to do?' he said and by the time the monster was already close to them. It opened its mouth and attempted to eat Manta.

'WAAAHHHHHH!' Manta's eyes nearly bulged out but Shiro managed to carry him away just in time.

'Anyone have some ideas on how to stop that thing?'

'We can use sheer force!' Anna took out her beads.

'We can't! What if there's still people in the park?'

'but Haruka-san if we don't stop that thing it's going to turn all of us into his meals!'

Shiro looked around the place for a moment before turning to Yoh.

'We'll have to separate! Asakura's will go to the left! Yoshifumi's to the right! Haruka, Karin, we're heading straight to the front!'

'Wait! That's not what I meant-'

'I know what I'm doing so just trust me and follow my lead! Ready?'

'NOW!' They separated and ran into three directions. However, Yoh had run straight instead of turning to the left.

'Yoh, what are you doing? I thought I told you to turn left!'

'There's no time for arguing, look!' Haruka pointed towards Mikihisa who was struggling with the monster on top of a building.

'Shiro, Karin, you help Mikihisa while Haruka and I fight that monster. Shiro, you're not allowed to-'

Shiro ran up the wall and gave the monster a kick on the face earning a roar from it. Yoh's jaw dropped.

'How did he do that?'

'Why won't you listen every time when I'm saying something important?' Hao said as he ran forward and swiftly jumped onto the top of the building. Yoh stared at Hao in surprise when he suddenly felt himself being lifted up from the ground.

'Come on, they can't handle everything alone.' Haruka said and sprinted towards the wall of the building before jumping up onto the top of the building. As soon as he landed on the floor, he placed Yoh down and went to attack the monster while the Keiko ran towards him with a worried expression.

'Are you alright Yoh?'

'Yeah…' he said as he stood and suddenly a gem was flying towards his direction. He quickly caught it and took a good look on the piece of jewel. He could have sworn the gem was glowing.

'Yoh, run away!' Shiro yelled as Yoh looked up and blanched when he sees the monster running towards him at inhuman speed. Hao managed to kick the monster to a side before he could land a blow on Yoh.

'Let's get out of here.'

'Not so fast!' Kotone yelled and snatched the gem away from Yoh.

'We'll be taking this thing.' She waved the gem and jumped down the building.

The monster roared and went after them.

'Like I'll let you! Let's go Karin!' Haruka yelled and the two ran after them.

'Sigh…This is going to take a while.' Hao ran after them followed by Shiro and the Asakura's.

'Kotone! This way!' Akane yelled and Kotone threw the gem but the monster pushed her away and when the gem was only a few inches from the monster Haruka snatched it and went on the roller coaster ride with Karin. Both Kotone and the monster did the same and they all fought for the gem. Suddenly, the door closed itself and the roller coaster starts to move. Hao and Shiro managed to cling at the door just in time before it left the starting point. As it went up the rails, they climbed into the cart while the fight continues to take place and when Haruka was sure they were in a stable position, he threw the gem at their direction which Shiro immediately caught it. The monster turned and was about to climb onto the other cart when Haruka attacked him from behind.

'You're looking at the wrong direction. Your opponents are us.'

Kotone meanwhile was heading towards Shiro's direction.

'Shiro, you stay here while I take care of her.'

'Okay, be careful Aniki.'

Haruka punched the monster in the stomach. The monster roared and attacked him but Karin went and launched at the monster. The monster went and charged forward causing her to lost balance and fell off the cart. However, she barely grabbed onto the edge of the car and survived.

'Karin!' Hao, Shiro and Haruka called out at the same time. Haruka could not help her at the moment as the monster was keeping him away from her by launching multiple attacks on him which he could barely dodged.

Hao shot a few fireballs at Kotone's direction. A violin materialized on her hands and she started playing the violin. Waves emitted from the violin and it nullifies the fireballs until there was nothing left of it.

'It's my turn.'

Kotone began to play her violin and a few arrows materialized out of nowhere and went towards Hao's direction. Fire appeared on Hao's hand and materialized into a double-edged sword. He inflicted a blow and all the arrows were sliced into tiny pieces. He charged towards his opponent. The violin on Kotone's hand turned into a sword which clashed with Hao's sword as soon as it fully materialised.

Yoh who had been watching the scene all the while ran away from the starting point of the roller coaster.

'Yoh, where are you going?'

'I'm going to help!' Yoh said but Yukino held out her sword and pointed it at Yoh.

'Please don't interfere. This fight has nothing to do with any of you.'

'But I can't just stand here and do nothing!'

'We don't have a choice. Fuyuki and Yuuji already said no outsiders are allowed to interfere in this fight especially you.'

'Wha-'

'HARUKA!' Karin yelled. The edge of the cart she was clutching broke and she fell off the cart.

'Karin!' Shiro jumped down and caught her before landing gracefully on the ground. He jumped and avoided a cluster of stones that came crashing his way.

'Give us the gem.' Akane said in a threatening tone and held out a spear that materialized out of nowhere.

'You want it? Come and get it.' Shiro ran towards the house of mirrors all the while carrying Karin as Akane ran after her.

Hao attacked Kotone and she went crashing towards the monster. Both Haruka and Hao jumped down and landed on the ground before running towards the direction where Shiro and Akane had just went.

Yoh took the chance to ran pass Yukino who was distracted for a moment.

'Asakura!'

'Yoh-kun!' Manta exclaimed.

'**I'm not going to just stand there and do nothing Nii-san…'** he thought to himself and ran towards the house of mirrors.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

* * *

'**I'm not going to just stand there and do nothing Nii-san…' he thought to himself and ran towards the house of mirrors.**

Manta ran after Yoh followed by the others.

* * *

Bang!

'Ouch!' Karin rubbed her sore head.

'This way Karin.' Shiro said and pulled her hand causing her to blush. Shiro blinked for a moment.

'Karin, are you alright?' he said and let go of her before touching her forehead. She blushed even harder. Shiro noticed the reflection of a running Akane on the mirrors.

'Let's go.' He pulled her and ran.

* * *

Bang!

'Ouch!'

'Haruka, are you alright? This is the third time you crash onto a mirror.'

'The mirrors are too confusing.'

'Sigh…I'll lead the way.'

'Thank y--ouch!'

'Sigh…'

* * *

'Yoh-kun, wait for me!' Manta yelled and his eyes nearly bulged out when the monster abruptly landed in front of him. The monster attempted to eat him but failed once again as Yukino pulled him away.

'Manta!' Yoh ran towards his trembling friend.

Kotone who landed on the ground a few meters ahead ran towards the house of mirrors. The monster spat out the soil stuck in his mouth and shook his head before glaring at Yukino who had taken his food away.

'I'll deal with you after this.' After that, the monster turned and ran into the house of mirrors. Yoh was about to run after the monster but Yukino grabbed his shirt causing him to turn.

'We'll wait for them at the exit.'

* * *

Karin and Hao stopped in their tracks.

'Dead end!' they both turned only to meet face to face with Akane.

'Hand in the gem or die.' Akane threatened and received a few sharp arrows coming her way as a response.

'What do I look like to you, a golden retriever?' Shiro darted towards her as a katana materialized on his hand and launched an attack on her.

Clash!

Kotone dodged the attack with her sword and attacked Shiro who stopped the attack with difficulty as she was pushing him forcing him to go backwards. Akane took the opportunity and attacked him from behind. However, she failed miserably as Haruka dodged the attack while Hao attacked her causing a cut in her right arm. Karin joined in the fight and gave Kotone a kick. She landed harshly on the floor and when she was about to stand up Akane tripped on her while dodging Hao's attack and fell on top of her. Then, a loud roar caused all the mirrors inside to break into pieces. The monster saw Shiro and quickly ran towards him.

'Run!' Haruka said and all of them dashed towards the exit. Of course, the monster chased after them followed by Kotone and Akane.

As soon as they got out they saw Yukino and the others waiting for them. They hurriedly ran towards them when a dark figure suddenly appeared behind Karin with a sword ready to attack her.

'Karin watch out!' Sara and Sayuri yelled but it was too late. By the time Hao and Shiro saw it Karin was already lying on the floor and a pool of blood was slowly forming around her. The man raised his sword and attacked the monster using the exact same technique and the monster was sliced into half in split second. Sara trembled in fear as she hugged Tamao who was the person nearest to her. They both looked like they were about to cry anytime soon. Shiro looked at the man who wounded his friend. He had black eyes and hair that matches his weird black outfit. Kotone and Akane ran towards him.

'We'll leave the rest to you Fumiya.' they said disapeared in a gust of wind.

'Shiro, you take care of him while we take care of Karin.' Haruka told him wanting to buy some time.

'Sigh...Looks like in the end we still have to resort to sheer force.' Shiro transformed his katana into a long spear and darted towards the man swiftly and their weapons clashed with each other. The attack produced a lot of smoke and a building nearby was suddenly sliced into two. The two disappeared as swift as lightning and as fast as they disappear, they reappeared at another location which is further from their previous position and attacked each other once again producing lots of smoke. The cycle continues and a few buildings had toppled down as the intense battle took place. Yoh could not believe his eyes and he was sure everyone (except the Yoshifumi, Hao, Haruka, and Karin) were thinking the same thing. His brother was so much stronger and faster compared to when he was training with him. Meanwhile, Haruka carried her sister and all of them left the place and hid behind the ruins of one of the toppled building. Once she was placed down, Yukino and Hao began to check her wounds.

'The wound is pretty deep. Is there any bandages around here?' Yukino asked and the clashing of weapons is the only thing she received.

'Oyamada, take off that coat of yours.'

'Eh?! Why me?!'

'You're wearing two clothings at the moment so stop wasting our time and hand it over unless you want to send her back to the Great Spirits.'

'Can't you use this?' Haruka showed the bag containing the clothes he was wearing before.

'It's too contaminated.' Yukino and Hao answered simultaneously.

Manta reluctantly handed in his favorite coat and they immediately wrapped it around the injured parts of her body.

'She lost too much blood. We need to take her to the hospital immediately.' she said as Haruka carried Karin on his back.

'All of you send her to the hospital first, we'll catch up with you once I get Shiro.'

'Sigh...If only we can think of a way to get Shiro-nii--'

'Incoming!' Shinichi yelled and Shiro came flying towards them. Hao walked one step backwards and caught him in his arms with ease.

'Time to go Shiro.' he said and they ran altogether.

'Fuyuki let me down! I can walk on my own!' Shiro told him.

'Don't complain and stay still. And don't call me Fuyuki, it's Hao. H-A-O. Plus, be grateful I caught you for if I didn't caught you just now you would have been injured.' Hao retorted.

'Stop arguing and just think of a way to get us out of here without that man following us alright!' Yukino pointed behind where the man known as Fumiya was chasing after them. Hao and Shiro exchanged glances for a moment before turning to her.

'What idea do you have in mind?' the two asked in unison.

'THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU TO THINK!' she yelled so loudly the force nearly blew them away.

'Well, we could separate since what he wants is the jewel...' the two said in unison.

'No! It's too dangerous for Shiro!' Yohmei retorted.

'I'm not a child anymore! Why does everyone treat me like a baby?!' Shiro pouted surprising the others.

'Nonsense, you're too big for a baby although you looked like one right now.'

'Fuyuki! Let me down NOW!'

'Nope, you ran too slow and also, you don't need to worry about me too much. You're not all that heavy.' Hao chuckled. As they ran pass a small lantern, an idea dawned upon the two boys and they smirked.

'Thinking what are we thinking?' the two asked in unison.

'Only the Great Spirits knows!' Yukino answered.

'Make sure you all continue running and don't stop unless you're inside the car alright!' Shiro yelled.

'What are you talking about?!' all of them asked.

'Just wait and you'll see!' the two said and Hao stopped in his tracks and placed Shiro down. Shiro took out the piece of gem from his pockets and pass it to Hao.

'Hey Fumiya! If you want the gem so badly, go and get it!' Hao said and threw the gem towards the amusement park.

'Fuyuki, NO!' Yukino exclaimed so loudly Yoh closed his ears.

The man quickly turn and ran back into the park while Hao and Shiro quickly ran away.

* * *

They all sat down except for Haruka who had been pacing back and forth as they waited for Karin outside the emergency room.

'Yoh!' Horohoro called out as he had just arrived. Ren, Faust, Ryu had came as well.

'Bos! What happened?! Is everything alright?!' Ryu and Horohoro shot Yoh with questions but Yoh remained silent as he stared at them with blank expression. Ren leaned on the wall with his hands crossed over his chest. Meanwhile, Faust who was in his wheelchair went towards Anna and handed her a bag.

'Okami, here are the things you asked for.'

'Thank you Faust.' Anna took out two coat and passed it to Yohmei and Kino. Then, she took out another two and passed it to Keiko and Tamao before passing another one to Mikihisa who rejected the offer. Then, she took out a coat and wear it.

'Oiiii...earth to Yohhhh...' Horohoro called out and Yoh's head fell and he began snoring. Shiro who was watching the scene from the opposite direction stood and went towards them. Then, he carried Yoh to the lines of vacant seats and lie him down slowly. He took off the coat that was provided by his adopted family not too long ago and use it to cover Yoh as if it was a blanket. Then, he shifted his gaze towards the clock. It was already 12 midnight. No wonder Yoh was asleep. Yohmei and Kino was looking very exhausted as well. He walked towards the two.

'Maybe you should go home and rest.' he directed his gaze at both of his grandparents. For a moment they were surprised that he was talking to them.

'It's fine. We'll wait.'

'Old people shouldn't be staying up late. It's not good for your health and plus, Karin's not related to you in anyway.'

'Well, you are.' Anna countered.

'So? It's not like the one in the emergency room was Shiro.' Hao replied and Anna glared at him. Haruka stopped walking and turned to Shiro.

'Actually, I think the one who needs rest the most is you, Shiro.'

'Eh?'

'Seriously, you looked like you haven't had enough rest for god-knows how long. Plus, you're _not _totally fine and I can definitely prove it.' he said attracting everone's attention. He went towards him and grabbed his hand. Shiro immediately knew his intention and yanked away his hand.

'Haruka, I'm fine.'

'Yeah right. Like I'm going to believe you.' Shiro glared at him.

'I'm going to buy some coffee.' he said and walked away at a fast pace.

'Looks like you got on his nerves again Haruka.' Hao said as he stared at Shiro who was walking away.

Keiko looked at his son that was walking away from them. She then turned to Yoh who was asleep before turning to her parents. She knew she couldn't leave. Mikihisa knew of her intentions.

'Go ahead. I'll take care of the others.' Mikihisa said and she smiled gratefully at her husband.

'I'll be right back.' she stood and walked away.

* * *

Shiro continue walking faster and faster. He left the hospital and walked towards a park that was only a stone's throw from the hospital's vicinity. He walked towards the swing and sat on it. He remembered once sitting on a swing together with Hao while Takumi pushed both of the swing. That had been the first time and also the last time he sat on a swing or went out with Takumi. He kicked the ground and the swing started going back and forth. He knew it was childish for a 15 year old boy to be playing at a swing but he didn't care. A memory drifted in his mind.

_'Takumi-san, what is that?' he asked and the boy that was two year older than him smiled.  
_

_'That thing is called a swing.'_

_'A swing?'_

_'Yup, children normally plays it to have fun.' Fuyuki added._

_He went towards the swing and inspected it. Then, he turned to them once more._

_'It's looks odd.'_

_'That's because you've never seen it before. Plus, you're a lot younger than you look so we're not surprised.'_

_'Honestly, if Fuyuki didn't told me anything about your past, I would have never guessed that you were only FIVE DAYS OLD! Can you believe that?! You're already learning so many things in five days! Not to mention you're so well-mannered!'_

_'You're exaggerating it Takumi-san.'_

_'See? You could pronounced my name so well for a five days old boy. It took me 4 years to finally managed to say the word Kaa-san which I would always pronounce it Baa-san.' he said earning a stifled laughter from Fuyuki._

_'I'm sure your mom regretted teaching you the word Kaa-san first.' he said but was ignored.  
_

_'Anyway you should try it out Yuu. It's really enjoying to play the swing.'_

_'Really?'_

_'Of course, I used to love playing them when I as a kid. Come on, I'll teach you how to play.'_

_'Nii-san, let's play together.'_

_'No, thanks. I'll just watch from here.'_

_'Hmph. Your brother Fuyuki is such a coward. He doesn't even dare to play a mere swing.' Takumi said and Fuyuki's eyebrow twitched._

_'Who said I don't dare?' he went and sit beside Yuu._

_'Ready?'_

_'Of course! Who do you think I am?!' Yuu sweat dropped at his brother's behaviour. Takumi started pushing both swings. After playing for a while both him and his brother began to enjoy playing the swing.  
_

That was one of the happiest day in his months of living. However, things have changed ever since shamanism came into his life and he knew that was the first and the last day he could actually enjoy the life of being a child. _  
_

'Shiro!' Keiko's voice snapped him back to reality. He didn't know when the swing stopped or when did Keiko arrived for as soon as he looked up he saw her worried expression which made him wonder what made her so worry.

'What?' he asked coldly and Keiko knelt down so that he was on eye level with the boy.

'What wrong Shiro? Why are you crying?' she asked gently and Shiro blinked in surprise. Was he crying? He wiped his cheek and was utterly surprised when he felt warm tears flowing down his cheek. He quickly turned away from Keiko and started wiping his face.

'Excuse me for a moment.'

He felt humiliated for crying in front of an Asakura and the worst part, not knowing he himself was crying. He didn't know why but he hated looking so vulnerable. Probably it's because he had been staying with his egoistic brother or maybe it's because his brother had always reminded him that a boy mustn't cry. If he were to found out about this he'll flood him with ramblings which was boring and always pissing him off to no end. As he continued wiping, a pair of arms cupped his face and slowly Keiko turned his head towards her. She dig into her pocket with one of her hands and took out a piece of handkerchief to wipe his face.

'Would you mind telling me what's wrong?'

Silence...

'I'm fine.'

'I can keep it a secret if you want.' she told him and for a moment he hesitated. He stood up.

'Thanks for the offer but I think it would be best for me to keep it to myself.' he bowed at her and walked away. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

'Everything that happened just now...can you keep it a secret?' he asked without turning to her. Keiko stood up and she could have sworn he was blushing when he said that but she choose to say nothing about it.

'Sure, I guess...' she said and Shiro remained silent for a moment.

'Thanks...' he finally said and walked away.

Keiko remain rooted on the spot. She thought back to what happened a few moments ago. Everything she had just seen was just so sudden! Firstly, it was already surprising enough to have found Shiro sitting on a swing but to have seen him in such a vulnerable state was the last thing she had ever expected. She thought that Shiro would be just like Hao but she was surely proven wrong today. He obviously wasn't as good at it when it comes to hiding his emotions and for Great Spirits sake, Hao would never cry or sit on a swing! Another fact that she had overlooked all this while was that Shiro was still a child but Hao was not. Now that she thought about it, how could she even think that Shiro would be just like Hao when they were so different from each other?! Sure, Shiro was also a very strong shaman and he grew long hair like Hao does but that doesn't mean they'll share the same characteristics. Well, maybe they do have a few similar traits but still...

They weren't the same person.

Just like Yoh always said, Hao is Hao and Yoh is Yoh just like how Shiro is Shiro. ( I hope i'm not confusing the readers. Sorry if I am...) Now that she understand that, she wanted Shiro's acceptance more than anything else because even if Shiro doesn't admit it she knew...

Shiro was still a child and as a child, he yearns for affection from his family.

Knowing this, she decided that she want to learn more about Shiro, her mysterious third son that she'd just known not long ago. Smiling to herself at the decision made she started walking back towards the hospital. She abruptly came to a halt and color was drained from her face when she saw Shiro in the middle of a fight with a group of men that were many times larger than him. It was the four people who had beaten Haruka at the amusement park but this time there were a lot more other people with them. Somehow, they looked really familiar in Keiko's opinion.

* * *

Sara looked around her surroundings. Haruka was still pacing back and forth while Hao remained on his seat with his arms crossed. He seemed to be in deep thought. She turned to Yoh who was drooling all over the chair and her eyes landed at the white coat that had been covering him. It's been 20 minutes since Shiro left. She was a tad bit worried for him.

'I hope nothing bad happens to him.' she thought not realising that she had also said it aloud. Haruka stopped pacing and everyone (except a sleeping Yoh) directed their attention at her. She blinked and looked down on her legs. A smile creased Yukino's lips and she placed her hand on Sara's shoulder.

'Why don't we both go and find him?' she said and Sara beamed.

'Really?!' Sara asked receiving a nod. She hugged her.

'You're the best Yukino!' Sara said and the two quickly stood up.

'Yukino. Sara.' Hao called out to them causing them to turn. He heaved a sigh.

'Sara, would you mind if I ask Yukino to go there alone? He's at the park outside the hospital so it's a little bit dangerous for you to go there you know.' the two exchanged serious glances before turning back to Hao.

'That still doesn't mean she can't go. She have Miss Yukino protecting her right?' Ryu protested and winked at Yukino who in return gave him a glare that sends chill down his spine. If looks could kill, he would've probably been minced meat.

'I-It's okay. I'm fine with it.' Sara said trying to pretend that she was alright.

'I'll be right back Mis--'

'You are using the 'M' word again Yukino.'

'Oh, sorry.'

'Anyway, you should hurry up now.' Sara said nervously and Yukino gave a quick bow to everyone and ran. Sara was really getting worried now. She wanted to go but she knew she couldn't because if Hao asks them for something, he must have his reason for he wasn't anyone that would ask for something so randomly. She exchanged glances with Haruka who was looking at her with a serious expression. Not only the two of them, but all of the Yoshifumi's know that something bad is obviously going on and Hao was the only one who knows about it. So that's why he hadn't went to find him. He's probably thinking that Shiro could use this opportunity as another training for him. She pray for Yukino and Shiro's safety as she went back to her seat. She knew it would take a while but she also knew that everything will soon came to light when they both returns.

Anna turned to Ryu and he immediately nodded and stood.

'Excuse me for a moment.' he said and walked away.

* * *

Shiro fell and glared at the man who was holding the steel pipe. Blood started flowing down his face. Keiko ran towards him.

'Shiro, are you alright?' she asked but he remained silent for a moment.

'I'm fine.' he said with an unreadable expression and stood up. Clearly the gang was at an advantage with that many people. However, a few men were already down. Hence, it wasn't a full lost.

'Heh, how dare you mess with our friend?'

'If boss was here he would have beaten you into a pulp!' another one said and they all laughed.

'You should go Keiko, it's too dangerous for you to get involved. Plus, you would made the others worry.'

'What?' she was utterly surprised.

'What's wrong boy? Too scared to move?' he asked and the next thing he knew he was being punched in the face.

The fight continues as they all went against Shiro. Keiko was really concerned about Shiro seeing the blood that was still flowing from his forehead. The worst part of all, he had been avoiding them most of the time and only attacking when necessary. She didn't understand what is going on in her son's head for all he did was jump around and avoid the pipes. She didn't know she should be feeling proud or angry at him for not running away like a cowardice. Suddenly, a man appeared behind her holding a knife and she screamed!

* * *

Yoh shot up from the lines of the vacant seat. He turned to Mikihisa and was surprised to see Faust, Ren, and Horohoro instead. Tamao was so worried she was shaking. His eyes searched wildly for a woman and man that was supposed to be sitting between Anna and Kino. He then swallowed his nervousness.

'Y-You guys heard that don't you?' he asked earning nods from them. He instantly got up from his seat.

'Mikihisa already went there so it's better for you stay here.' Hao told him as he was about to walk away.

Horohoro who was at his limit went towards Hao and pulled him up by the collar.

'What is going on?!' he yelled right at his face.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

* * *

**Horohoro who was at his limit went towards Hao and pulled him up by the collar.**

**'What is going on?' he yelled right at his face.**

'Be patient. You will find out soon…' he said smiling but that only made the Ainu boy angrier.

'Horohoro, calm down.' Yoh told his friend.

'Yoh's right. Being angry won't lead us anywhere.' Ren continued and Horohoro glared at him.

'Don't tell me what to do shark-head.' Ren smirked.

'What's the matter? Not satisfied because I won just now?' Hao watched at the scene amused while the two threw dagger looks at each other. Horohoro released Hao and went towards him.

'Try me.'

They glared for a long while and then…

'Rock , paper, scissors!' the two exclaimed in unison. Ren won. Everyone fell over except for Hao and Anna.

'See? I won again.'

'Grrr….one more time!'

'Rock, paper, scissors!'

The cycle continued on and on as Ren kept winning.

* * *

Keiko tried her best to break free from the man's grip but it was no use. The whole gang was gathering around Shiro but so far they hadn't done anything. One of the men kicked him lightly and received no reaction from the boy that was lying on his own pool of blood. He was sweating heavily now.

'D-Did we k-killed him?' One of the men said and all of their faces turned white.

'We'd better run!' they said and all of them ran away like the coward they really were. Keiko immediately ran towards him.

'Shiro! Wake up! Shiro! Please Shiro!' Keiko hugged him. His body was really cold. Tears flow down her cheeks.

'Please...' Finally after a few second that felt like hours Keiko felt his hand moving. She stared at Shiro who was slowly opening his eyes. She felt so relieved.

'SHIRO!' Keiko looked up and saw Yukino running towards them with her katana on her hands. As soon as she arrived on the spot, she placed down the katana and took out a roll of bandages before wrapping it on his head.

'What happened?' she asked coldly.

'Y-Yuki…' Shiro called out and she quickly turned to him. He smiled and raised his hand towards her.

'Shiro…' Yukino hesitated for a moment. Then, she took his hand using both of her hand for a moment before placing his hand on his lap and continuing wrapping bandages on his head.

'Maiden Yukino! What happened?' Ryu called out and Yukino rolled her eyes.

'W-W-What happened Keiko-sama?' Ryu asked gasping for air and Keiko just looked at Shiro. At the same time, Yukino finished wrapping the bandage on Shiro's head.

'This would do at the moment. Ryu, I want you to carry him to the emergency ro-'

'Keiko!' Mikihisa ran towards Keiko and checked up on her.

'Are you alright?'

'Yes, but Shiro's not.' Mikihisa turned and for a moment he was shocked. Blood was all over Shiro's head and clothing. Mikihisa instantly shoved Ryu away and carried him up.

'We need to get him to the emergency room.'

'That isn't necessary.' Hao's voice surprised all of them. Suddenly, a few nurses and two men that were carrying the stretcher came running towards them.

* * *

Mikihisa paced back and forth outside the room while Hao and Anna sat there waiting with their arms crossed. Yohmei, Yoh and Manta was looking very pale while Tamao had been trembling terribly as she sat. Tears were already at the corner of her eyes. The same thing goes to Sara only that she wasn't trembling as terribly as she did. Yoh thought back to what had happened. When Karin's operation was still going on, Hao had suddenly excused himself for a moment and after he did, the doctor had came out from the emergency room. Karin had passed the critical state and now Haruka was with her. Yoh and Manta was planning to find Shiro together when Yohmei requested to join them. Of course, Yoh was more happier than ever. However, when they were walking together at the hospital lobby, a stretcher went pass by them and they all blanched when they saw a bleeding Shiro lying on the stretcher. The stretcher was followed by Hao and Yukino who ran pass by them as if they didn't exist. They quickly searched for Keiko and found out that she was okay. Apparently, Shiro had protected her from a group of men who was attacking them but got himself injured instead.

'ASAKURA HAO!' a voice screamed pulling Yoh out of his thoughts. All of them (except Hao who remained thoughtful) shifted their gaze towards a person who was walking at a very fast pace towards them. Judging by her clothing, she was a doctor and she was really angry. She stopped in front of him and placed her hand on her hips.

'Do you know how nice it would be for me to actually strangle you to death now?'

'Nope. Don't want to know neither.'

'Just answer me this. Do you know how many times had Shiro been admitted to the hospital including today?' Hao remained silent for a moment before looking up smiling.

'I don't know. Why don't you tell me?'

SMACK!

'Five...' Hao rubbed his sore cheek.

'So you still remembered huh! Honestly where were you all this time? He's always injured as if no one takes care of him. Are you hiding something from me?' her voice became lower.

'Well...that's...'

'Not something we can tell you Hinako-sensei.' Shiro interrupted and everyone nearly fell off their chair.

'Shiro!' everyone exclaimed.

'What?' Shiro replied and the doctor pinched his cheek. Hard.

'Firstly, you had me worried sick and then you just suddenly appeared in front of the others as if nothing had happened.'

'S-Sorry.'

'Sigh...get back into your room and rest.'

'Ummm...Actually, I already requested for early checkout so-'

'AGAIN?' she glared at Shiro.

'I'll rest when I go home so don't give me that look.' the two sweat dropped.

'You said that all the time but you never did it.'

'Well, people say easier said than done right?'

'I'm not talking to you Hao.'

'Anyway we're going to visit Karin and Haruka so see you later.' he said and quickly dragged Hao away with him. However, the doctor pulled them back.

'You two are going to my office. I'm going to tell your father-'

'He's attending a meeting in France so he won't be answering.' the two interrupted quickly.

'What do you mean he's attending a meeting? He's right here alright.' Manta interrupted and they glared at him. The doctor blinked and turned to Manta but not before seeing Yoh who looked so alike with his two brothers. Her eyes was so close to bulging out when she saw him. She turned to the other two and gave them an unusually withering glare. The Asakura's and the Yoshifumi's were doing the same.

**['Time to run.'] **Hao thought to Shiro.

**['Understood.'] **was his reply.

They both jumped out of the doctor's reach and avoided from Mikihisa who was trying to catch them. They run and turned to the left, pushing a cart causing some of the towels to fall onto the floor. Mikihisa, Tsuzuki and the doctor chased after the two.

'Get back here!'

'Ummm...what happened?' Yoh asked Anna as he was still rooted on the spot and not knowing what was going on.

'No time to ask. You all go get Shiro. Use force if necessary. Tamao and I will take care of Yohmei-sama and Kino-sensei.' Anna said and that's when they all went to chase the two.

* * *

'So, what are we going to do Fuyuki?'

'Honestly, I didn't expect everything to be found out so early. Oh well, at least things would be settled sooner.' the two continued to run.

'Still, we can't really run forever can we?'

'Then how about we turn to the right at the corner and jump?' Hao asked and Shiro thought for a moment before shrugging.

'Don't know. You decide.'

'Then turn and jump.'

They turned at the corner and jumped crashing onto the window before landing gracefully on the ground that was three floors below. Hao turned back and stared at the broken window. Mikihisa, Tsuzuki and the doctor was standing there. He smirked and waved goodbye before pulling Shiro away with him.

'Chuuka Zanmai!'

'Ice Beam Saber!'

Ren and Horohoro's eyes widened. Shiro meanwhile remained expressionless as he grasped the shaft of the Kwan Dao firmly. The edge of the Kwan Dao was only inches from his forehead. The bandage wrappped around his head split into two and it fell onto the ground. Horohoro's oversoul meanwhile had dissolved and he landed on the ground. They both watched him in surprise. How could Shiro be the one defending when just now the one they were attacking is Hao?

'Step aside Shiro. Our opponent is the one behind.'

'If you want to fight him, fight me first.' Shiro's grip on the shaft tightened causing the weapon to break into two. He then threw the one he was holding at Horohoro's direction. Horohoro jumped away and the broken weapon hit the forest and produced a small explosion. A few trees toppled down.

'Don't push yourself too hard.' Hao told him.

'Ah.' was the reply. He picked up a steel pipe from the ground and darted towards Ren who had now replaced a new Kwan Dao.

'ALL OF YOU STOP!'

All of them stopped with what they are doing and turned to Yukino.

'Can't you guys just stop fighting and talk this thing out?'

* * *

She stared grimly at the two boys that were sitting in front of her. One of them lowered his head while the other one stared at her with an unreadable expression. The others merely watched the scene in silence.

'Well then, let me ask you a question Shiro.' He sweat dropped.

**'Why me...'**

'If nobody knows about your health condition what will happen?'

'Umm...uhhh...'

'Just answer the question.' she said sternly.

'No one will...take...care of me...'

'and...'

'I...uh...erm...'

'Sigh...what will you not be doing?' she asked tired of waiting.

'I won't...take...my...medicine.' he shrunk in size. Yoh was flabbergasted by his answer.

'That's right. What happens when my patient don't take his medicine?'

'Nothing happens.' Hao interrupted and he heard someone yelling 'what?' from behind.

'That's the problem. You got influenced by your brother's logic you won't even touch any medicine I gave y-.'

'It's not Aniki's fault. I just...kind of forgot.' Shiro defended quickly.

Suddenly someone threw an orange and it hit Hao's head. Hao turned to see who threw the orange at him and Yohmei merely glared mockingly at him.

'That's not the point. All I want is that you take better care of yourself by eating your medicine and apparently, it's next to impossible. Not to mention your brother won't even care when you forgot to eat them.'

'Well, he's a fast healer so I don't see a problem of him not taking any medicine. His forehead is the prove.' he pointed to Shiro's forehead. There was only a small scar left on it.

'Yes, he's a fast healer but that doesn't mean he won't need to eat healthy stuff and exercise correct?' this one shut him up.

'Sigh...do you get what I'm trying to say now Shiro?' she received a few nods.

'I'll give you some medicine and this time, they!' she pointed to the others that was standing behind.

'will make sure you finish them.'

The two were then dismissed so that the doctor would be able to talk to the Asakura's in privacy.

'So, what is your relationship with Shiro and Hao?' the doctor took a sip from her cup of tea.

'We're their parents.' Keiko, Mikihisa, Sayuri and Tsuzuki said in unison causing the doctor to spat out the tea she was drinking.

'WHAT?'

'Well, we're their adopted parents and they are the real parents Mikihisa and Keiko Asakura.' Sayuri explained as she gestured toward Keiko and Mikihisa.

'I see...I thought you were playing pranks on me.'

'But only Shiro is our son. We had nothing to do with Hao.' Mikihisa said before Keiko could stop him and the doctor raised an eyebrow.

'You should watch what you're saying. Shiro doesn't like someone saying bad things about him. You saw how he defended his brother just now right?'

'That's the problem! That man poisoned my grandson's mind!' Yohmei suddenly exclaimed.

'WHAT?' Shiro's voice sounded from behind the door.

'Told you so.'

'Umm...how long have you known our son?'

'I've known them since the first time they came here miss Asakura. Honestly, they are twins with real strong bonds. You can't just have one of them, its either both or none so I wasn't surprised they never talked about their parents.' that statement surprised them.

'Can you tell me more about them?' Keiko asked the doctor who stared at her with a startled expression.

'Well, you see...It all started like this...' Mikihisa started explaining what happened.

* * *

'Damn that old geezer. That man poisoned my grandson's mind!' Shiro imitated Yohmei's quote and angrily stabbed at the food with his fork. Hao just laughed. His brother can be really childish at times.

'Aww..come on, don't be so moody. We come here to eat, not watching you release your anger right Opacho?'

'Yes.' she replied cheerfully and all of them laughed.

'At least I know why you've always hated your own family. I just can't understand why they won't even give you another chance? Is not like they're going to die or lose someone. Who knows they might have saved someone!'

'Well, I did cause them a lot of trouble so it isn't all that surprising. Plus, they can say whatever they want. It doesn't really matter to me.'

'They keep saying that you are a monster when they didn't even realize the presence of another killer.' Shiro said and Hao stopped laughing.

'Shiro, for a thousand million times don't say that to yourself. You were only following _their_ orders.' Hao said with a serious expression.

'That still doesn't change the fact I killed someone right?' Hao didn't answer.

'_Sigh_...It really made me wonder whether they'll still want me when they knew about what happened _that_ day...' he looked out the window and saw a few teenagers playing soccer at the field nearby. A feeling of longing and envy tugged at his heart but he choose to ignore it. He turned back to his plate and when he took his culteries noticed both Hao and Opacho staring at him with a surprised expression.

'What?' he asked and Hao smiled in an apologetic way.

'Nothing.'

'You know...sometimes I really wished I can read your mind...' Hao smirked and he clasped his hands together before resting his chin on it.

'You have already read more than enough thoughts my dear Otouto.'

'That's because sometimes it's out of my control. Seriously, how can 'reishi' be this annoying? I could read the mind of the others but not my older brother?'

'Shiro, what did I told you about 'reishi'?'

'Sigh...don't say anything concerning reishi when we're not alone...' he replied dully.

'Shiro, you must never let anyone know about your mind-reading ability and try not to use it often _if_ you can. We don't want to cause any trouble or suspicion. Always bear that in mind.'

'I know I know. You've said it many times already.'

'No, you have to be very careful. Haruka, Yukino and Anna are very observant and sharp witted. One mere mistake could really lead them to finding out not only your mind-reading ability but to the true potential you held within yourself.' Shiro looked up to his brother who now held a serious expression.

'I understand.' he replied with the same serious expression and Hao's gaze softened. He ruffled his hair.

'Aniki, you're messing my hair again.' Shiro pouted and Hao smiled. He pulled back his hand and Shiro retied his hair into a ponytail once more.

'Finish up your food. We're going out for a ride after this.'

* * *

'What?' was the only reply she could think of right now.

The new information was so overwhelming at the moment she was at a loss for words.

'Oh my freaking god. How in the world would you not know about the existence of your own son?'

'We know. We ourselves hadn't expected something like this to happen.' Keiko said disappointed with herself.

'No wonder he was always saying_ that_ when I said anything related to parents. To think his parents never knew about him is just too..._sigh_...' she massaged her forehead.

'What did Shiro-san said when you said anything related to parents?' Manta asked and the doctor stared at them not knowing she should tell them or not.

'Well, he said he could...live even without any parents.' she said and received a few gasps.

'Since you both have not taken care of him since young, he's probably a precocious child then. Precocious child tends to isolate themselves from children of their age-'

'So that's why he never talked about school!' Shinichi and Kaoru said in unison.

'Then that means he had no friends?' Horohoro asked.

'I don't think so. I think it's more like he _don't want_ any friends.' Keiko looked down disappointed and Yoh stared at his mother.

'However...if he _were_ to have any friend, then that friend will most probably know a lot of things about him. One of Shiro's friend was of course none other than...'

'Hao-nii...' Yoh answered.

'Precisely. From the looks of it, Hao knows not a lot but too much about him. Honestly, I only talked to them three times and although I don't really know them all that well I know they are very close to one another. He's the best candidate to be asked if you want to find out anything concerning Shiro.'

'He won't tell us so easily.' Shinichi sighed.

'Sigh...how are we supposed to even gain his acceptance when we don't even know a single thing about him?' Mikihisa sighed heavily.

'Well, you could try to convince him. It'll really take a while but once he opens up he'll tell you many things.'

'How do you suggest we start doctor?' Keiko asked.

'I'm not really sure myself. Apparently, there were once a few people who came to visit them when they were in the hospital. They seems to know a lot about the two of them. They'll probably know what to do if you ask them.'

'Do you remember what's their name or how they looked like?' Yohmei stood up.

'Or maybe you know where they lived?' Mikihisa stood as well.

'I don't remember them much but I think one of them is named Luchist.'

'Anyone else?' Mikihisa asked knowing he couldn't ask him.

'Well, there is another small boy who had a kitten following behind him all the time...' Mikihisa's hope seemed to fell.

'Umm...is there...anyone else?'

'Yeah, they came in a group of six that day. 3 adults, 2 teenagers and a child.' that statement brought hope again to the Asakura's.

'Who is it then?'

'I don't really remember them but I think another one of them went by the name Shinagawa of some sort.'

'Shinagawa?' this time it was the Yoshifumi's that was surprised.

* * *

Shiro adjusted Hao's riding jacket as Hao adjusted the helmet on his head.

'There, all done.' he told his brother and they turned to the two person in front of them.

'So, how do we look?' Hao asked Shinagawa and Nakamura who was staring at them with a surprised expression.

'You both are like the definition of the concept Yin and Yang.'

'Agree.'

'Yin and Yang?' Shiro blinked in confusion.

'Yin and Yang is normally described as seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. The concept lies at the heart of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy.' Nakamura explained.

'Many natural dualities such as dark and light, female and male, low and high, cold and hot are viewed in Chinese thought as manifestations of yin and yang. Yin yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, although yin or yang elements may manifest more strongly in different objects or at different times. Yin yang constantly interacts, never existing in absolute stasis.' Hao continued.

'There is a common perception that yin and yang correspond to good and evil. However, Taoist philosophy generally discounts good or bad distinctions as superficial labels, preferring to focus on the idea of balance.' Shinagawa added.

'Umm...Are you referring to our clothing?' Shiro asked and they laughed.

'I am refering to both of your personality although now that you mentioned it, the clothing does bear some resemblance.'

'Yeah...I'm wearing all black and you're wearing all white. Not to mention Hoshi's white and Shirotsuki's black.' Hao said and climbed onto the horse's back. Shiro did the same.

'I guess we'll be leaving then Shinagawa-san, Nakamura-san.'

'Have a nice ride.'

'You guys enjoy yourselves then.' Hao said and the couple blushed.

'Ready Shiro?' Hao asked and Shiro nodded.

'Let's go!' the two said in unison and both horses lifted its front feet off the ground and sprinted off of the building. Nakamura and Shinagawa waved to them before turning to each other.

'Would you like to join me for an early breakfast then?' Nakamura asked and Shinagawa smiled.

'Sure. After all, it's only 5 in the morning so I won't be having anything to do until 7.'

* * *

The horses came to a halt in front of a cliff and the two boys step down from the horses back and tie both horses at a tree trunk. Shiro's gaze travelled around the place. At their left was a rocky stream that was linked to a waterfall. Everything was surrounded by trees. He walked towards the edge of the cliff and looked into the horizon. He gasped in wonder. The sight was simply beautiful.

'Do you like it?' Hao's asked and he nodded without turning to him.

'It's even more beautiful than the scene at the lake we found a while ago. It's really far from Funbari though...Why did you come here anyway?' he spoke in a tone totally different from when he was speaking with the others.

'Well, since Shinichi found our private place (the lake) so I thought we should go look for a new one so that they won't ever find us and disturb us when we wanted peace and privacy.'

'They found it?'

'Yeah...that's why they asked us out for a ride that day.' (refer to chapter 33)

'I see...I should bring Luchist and Opacho here for a picnic someday.'

'You're not bringing Yoh along?'

'I better not. Although he is trustworthy he will still tell someone if he thinks they can be trusted. I wanted to tell Shinagawa-sensei and Nakamura-sensei but the Yoshifumi's might try to get something out of them by force so it's best for me to not say too many things to them.' Shiro said as he took off his shoes and the riding jacket before placing it nicely at the river banks. He released his hair that was previously tied up before walking on the stepping stones. He then turned to Hao, smiling cheerfully.

'Onii-chan, come on! What are you waiting for?' he called out enthusiastically like a child and a smile creased the pyro shamans lips. It's been quite a while since he last saw Shiro acting like that. He took off his shoes and riding jacket and placed it beside Shiro's stuff before following after his younger brother. Shiro was smiling as he was jumping from one stone to another. Like Hao and Yoh, he also loved to be with nature. Apart from that, he enjoyed spending time being alone with his brother. It was the only time he won't need to hide his feelings and he could do whatever he wanted without anyone knowing other than his brother and himself. Not that he hide his feelings from Opacho and Luchist or Shinagawa and Nakamura but he somehow felt awkward to fully show them his true personality.

He suddenly turned towards Hao who was coming towards him and smiled mischievously without being noticed by Hao. When Hao was close enough he lunged himself at him causing the two of them to fell into the water. Hao rose up from the water coughing as he had not been aware of his brothers intention just now. Shiro rose into the surface not long after that.

'What did you do that for?' Hao asked as he coughed.

'I was thinking how would you react when I did that?' he said and grinned.

'You wanna know how I'll react huh? This is how I'll react.' he pushed Shiro inside the water. Shiro rose and fell into a coughing fit.

'You're so mean Nii-chan!' Shiro pouted.

'That's what you get for-' Shiro splashed water onto Hao's face and Hao splashed water on his face in return. They ended up splashing about and after a while, they grew tired and went back to the shore. After changing into the new clothes they brought in case, Shiro began looking for colorful pebbles from the stream via the stepping stone. The water was crystal clear so if there was anything interesting looking he could just use his shamanic powers to take them. Hao helped as well and as he did that, he searched around the place. From the time they both arrived here, he had felt someone following them but had choose not to tell Shiro for if he did, this whole plan of bringing him here would have been meaningless. He wanted him to have some fun for a while longer for he could never live the life of a normal boy anymore with the new responsibility given to him by Takumi and he himself. If he hadn't saw him looking out the window a while ago, he would have forgotten the fact that Shiro was just a child and was only a few months old. Having to act tough and mature all the while must have been hard for him.

'Onii-chan!' Shiro's voice snapped him back to reality.

'There's a really cute fish over here! You've got to come and see it!' Shiro pointed to a direction as he spoke using the tone of a child. He bent down and hugged his legs as he stared at the fish with admiration. Hao slowly went towards him and bent down before placing his hands on his knee.

'Do you want it?'

'Yeah...but I can't have him.'

'I can catch it for you if you want.'

'You can't. It belongs here. If we take him away he'll be very lonely. Then, his parents would be sad as well...and...I wouldn't want anyone to take me away from Nii-chan...' he said quietly. Hao smiled and ruffled his hair.

'Baka...I won't ever leave you unless you don't want me to be with you.'

'OF COURSE I WANT NII-CHAN TO BE WITH ME! If Nii-chan weren't here Shiro will be lonely.' For a moment Hao was surprised by his sudden outburst. Then, he hugged his younger brother and stroked his hair.

'Before you came, I had always been very lonely you know...' Shiro's head perked up in surprise.

'Didn't Opacho stay with you?'

'Yeah...but still, we weren't blood related correct?' Shiro understood what he meant.

'Don't worry Nii-chan! You've got me now! I won't ever leave you and that's for sure!' Shiro suddenly said trying to lighten up the mood. Hao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

'What's so funny?' Shiro stared at him with a sulky look and pulled away from the hug.

'Gomen but you make it sounded a little bit...unconvincing.' he said and continue laughing. Shiro smiled and suddenly something caught his attention. It was a pair of eyes that glowed in the shadows. A snake glided out of the shadows and it glided towards them.

'Aniki!'

Hao turned and he immediately pointed at the viper with a spear which materialised from his hands.

'Stay back, Shiro.' Hao said with serious expression. The snake abruptly gave a bow which surprised the two of them.

'Pleasssssssse withdraw your weaponssss, we're only here to deliver our massster'sss messssage.' the snake hissed and Shiro and Hao stared at the snake dumbfounded.

'IT SPOKE!' the two exclaimed.

'Pleassssse calm down. I meant no harmmmm...'

'I just got bitten by a viper a while ago! How am I supposed to know you meant no harm?' Shiro retorted, Hao raised his hand and he stopped.

'Who is your master? Why would he want to talk to us?'

'My massster messsage is only for oneee of youuu...' Hao turned to Shiro who shrugged.

'Perhapsss thisssss would give you a hint...' another two snake glided out. One of the snake was biting a plant while another was biting on a small looking charm. The snake placed the plant on the floor and Shiro went in front and took it with a surprised expression.

'It's...Achillea...millefolium...could it be that your master-'

'Then youuu mussst be the onee who had saved our massster.' all of the snake bowed at him causing him to sweat drop feeling awkward.

'We thank you for taking careee of our massster...As a gratitude from our massster, thisss...' one of the snake came out and Shiro reached out his hand. The snake dropped the charm on his hand.

'It isss a charm from our massster. He would like youuu to have ittt...'

'Did you came from the sacred forest?'

'Sacred forest?' Shiro turned to him in surprise.

'Did you not knowww of the sacred forrrreeessssttt?' the snake asked Shiro who shook his head.

'I seee...then we're really sorrry of what happennneeddd that day...' the snakes bowed once more. Another viper glided out of the shadows. It had a lot of burns here and there and there was a long scar on the middle of his body.

'You...' Shiro and Hao looked at the snake surprised.

'I'mmm deeeply sorrryy forr what happeneddd that dayyy...I thought youuuu were one of thoseee humansss that were trying to destroyyyy ourrr placeeee...' Shiro held up the snake and placed it on his arms.

'It was me that was sorry...if only I'd knew it was a sacred forest you wouldn't have been hurt.' he turned to Hao who gave a nod and he smiled gratefully before placing it down. He cupped the snake's face using his hand.

'Stay still...' Shiro said and his hand began to glow and it slowly spread onto the snake's whole body. The wounds and burns began to disappear from it's body.

'There...all done. Now you'll be just like how you used to be.' Shiro smiled. The snake inspected himself and turned to Shiro once more before bowing.

'Thankssss...'

'Anyway, about your master...is he...uh...a sacred human of some sort?' that statement made all of the snake laughed although they looked like they were coughing in Shiro's opinion. One of them laughed so much it accidentally sprayed out venom from it's fangs and to it's misfortune, the venom went directly towards Hao and Shiro. Luckily, Shiro and Hao managed to evade just in time. All snakes glared at the snake. Shiro stared at his brother, although he was still composed like he had always been, his face had lost it's color and he knew color had also been drained from his own face.

'Our masster is a sssshamannn...He haddd beeen livving in the sacccred forrrest sinceee the passst feww yearsssss...Beforrree he cameee, humansss weree alwaysss intrudingg ourrr forrresst. Manyy of ourr relativess and ancessstorsss had beeen killed by themmm. Hee cameee oneee dayy andd wee madeee a deallll. Iffff...heee cannn chaseee out thosee worthlesss humansssss, we'lll have to let him stayyy. Allll animalsss cameeee to resssspect himmmm for he haddd alwaysss keptt hisss promissse byy chasinggg outttt worthlesssss humansss that triesss to dessstroyyyy ourrr forrresst. Heee wasss the oneee who taught usss how to fightt thossse humansss. Althoughhhh, we'reee sorrry tooo haveee harmedd youuu...'

'It's okay. I understand what you meant because I like nature a lot. They're really beautiful and amazing. Too bad many hadn't realised it.'

'I seee...perhapsss you could comeee to ourrr massster'sss placeee someeday...'

'Really?'

'Ifff youu couldd keeep all thisss a secrettt...'

'Sure! Then, can I bring Aniki along?'

'Ifff he isss worrrth ourrr trussstttt...'

'Of course I'm worth your trust! Who do you take me for?'

'I seee...thennn, whennn youuu meettt animalsss in the forrrest, sshowww themmm the charmmm andd theyyy willll leaddd youuu too ourr placeee...'

'I understand.'

'Oneee moreee thinggg...'

'Let me guess, keep everything a secret right?' Shiro asked earning nods from the snake.

'I will. I definitely will. Unless my family sent someone to spy on me when I visit your master.'

'Theyyy won'ttt beee able to do thattt whennn they'reee inn ourrr forrrestt.'

'I see...'

'Welll thennn...we will takeee ourrr leaveee...I lookkk forwarddd to meetinggg youuu againnn...Howww do weee calll youuu?'

'They call me either Shiro or Yuu.'

'Thennn wee lookkk forwarddd to meeting you againnnn SSSShiirooo...' they started gliding back into the shadows.

'Could you tell your master thank you for me...ummm...uhhh...?'

'It'sss Byakkouu...' the snake told him.

'Oh...could you tell your master thank you for me then Byakkou-san?' the snake nodded.

'Thanks.'

'Welllcomeee...' and with that, the snakes left leaving the two.

Then, the sun began to rise from the horizon.

'Shiro, the sun's rising.'

'Let's go watch it together then.'

They sat beside each other at the edge of the cliff enjoying the scenery as the sun began to rise above the horizon.

* * *

At the kitchen, Shinagawa and Nakamura was still having their breakfast while chatting when...

'Shinagawa Manami! Where are you?' Tsuzuki called out and both Shinagawa and Nakamura stood up in surprise. Nakamura stared wearily at Shinagawa who stared at him nervously in return. Normally when their master called them by their full name it means something bad was about to happen.

'I guess our breakfast ends here then.' Shinagawa says and went towards the source of voice.

'I'm right here Tsuzuki-sama.' she said and went towards the living room only to find the Yoshifumi's and the Asakura's there with a few new faces that they've never seen before. They were all wearing serious expresssion on their faces other than Yoh who was smiling.

'Shinagawa-san, please have a sit. Nakamura-san, you can go back and do your work. We would like to have a private conversation with Shinagawa-san.' Sayuri said and Nakamura turned to Shinagawa who gave him a reassuring smile. He bowed and went away all the while not taking his eyes off Shinagawa. Shinagawa, although nervous, remained her composure and sat down slowly.

'Is there anything you want to tell me Tsuzuki-sama?' Tsuzuki threw a brochure towards her. It was the brochure of the hospital that Karin had went a while ago. She immmediately understood what it meant.

'Shinagawa-san, do you know this place?'

'Yes. I went there once.' she decided to not tell them that Nakamura was there as well thinking it was a bad thing now that they found out about her knowing more things about Shiro than they do.

'And why would you go there?'

'To visit someone. Why did you ask?' Tsuzuki decided not to waste any time and so he directly went straight to the point.

'You went there to visit Shiro right? You already knew he was in Funbari from the beginning right?' Shinagawa didn't answer. Tsuzuki was about to answer for her when she suddenly spoke.

'Yes.'

'Then why didn't you tell us? Then, we wouldn't have to go through so much trouble of finding them in Japan!' Tsuzuki noticed that she was not paying attention to him but she was paying attention to someone else. Someone that was standing behind him...He turned and saw Yukino who looked at him surprised for a moment.

'Yukino, don't tell me you knew about this as well...'

'I-I...'

'She knew nothing of this. Don't drag her into this mess. Just because you're angry doesn't mean you can accuse anyone you want.' Shinagawa said sternly.

'Then why are you staring at her? You both are obviously hiding something. Yukino! Tell me, what exactly do you know?'

'Like I said, she don't know anything.'

'Don't interfere Shinagawa! Yukino, what do you know?'

'She don't know anything. You can't force her.'

'You're just a servant. You can't tell me what to do.' Tsuzuki snapped.

'Is that so? Fine then.' she turned to Yukino.

'Yukino-san, I'm telling you this not as your worker but as someone older than you, you don't need to say anything if you don't want to say it. You have your own right.'

'Shinagawa, I said don't interfere!'

'I won't stop you if you want to tell them things you already know but if you prefer to remain silent about it then I don't think there's anything they could do about it.'

'SHINAGAWA MANAMI!'

'That's enough.' Sayuri interrupted.

'I hated to admit it but this time Shinagawa-san's right. Yukino has to made the decision on her own. That's why Yukino, we don't mind if you refused to tell us anything but I'll just say this one thing. The decision you're about to make has it's consequences. What's most important is that you will have no regrets. Therefore, think carefully before telling us your answer.' Sayuri said and Yukino lowered her head.

'So, what is your answer Yukino?'

'I'd say this is none of your concern so stop making things hard for others Tsuzuki Yoshifumi.'

Everyone's head perked up in surprise. Yukino went towards the boy who was standing at the door.

'Yuu, what do you think you're doing? Do you understand what you've just said?' Yukino whispered in his ears. He whispered something in return and her expression turned serious. After that she gave a brief nod.

'Yuuji, we need to talk.'

'I'm sorry Sayuri-san but we have other things need to be taken care of and I need Yukino's assistance at the moment. I would like this meeting to be dismissed.'

'No. We're not dismissing until the four of you explain everything.'

'Not even when we're going to get back the gem?' everyone was shocked to see Karin coming into the room. She look fine and in fact, better than when they first met at the amusement park. Haruka stood behind her and he was holding two staff on both hands. Tsuzuki hesitated.

'Fine. I'll let you off the hook but that doesn't mean we won't be discussing this later.' He answered finally and Haruka threw one of the staff he was holding at Shiro who caught it. The four of them bowed at Tsuzuki.

'We'll be taking our leave then.'

'I'll come with you.' Hao and Shiro turned to Yoh.

'No. It's way too dangerous.' the two replied in unison.

'Eh?'

'We're not going for a vacation Yoh. We're going to fight.'

'But-'

'No but for you. Stay.' Shiro's voice turned cold.

'No, we're all going with you.' Mikihisa retorted.

'Not in a million years Mikihisa.'

'Like Shinagawa said before, I have the right to do whatever I want so you can't do anything about it. As you're my son, you're going to obey me whether you like it or not.'

'Obey...It's always that same word.' he muttered quietly and turned away from him.

'Let's go.' he told them and they left the room. Mikihisa stared at him surprised. What did he meant by that?

* * *

Yoh and Keiko was chatting with the others while Yukino and Karin was chatting together with Shiro, Hao, and Haruka. Yoh suddenly turned to his brother who was chatting with each other. Haruka and Shiro had been holding that staff since the beginning when they boarded on the Spirit of Fire which made him wonder what was that staff for. A smile creased his lips as he saw Shiro and Hao laughing with Haruka. However, he couldn't help but feel a little left out. Suddenly, Shiro turned to him. He gave a smile and gestured for him to come. Yoh pointed to himself and he gave a nod. He stood up attracting everyone's attention and walked towards them.

Yohmei stared at Shiro, Hao, Haruka and also Yoh who'd just joined them in front. Once in a while they would be laughing and that really pisses him off. His grandson won't even smile at him and yet he was laughing with that demon? Hao had obviously poisoned his grandson's mind. Mikihisa was staring at Shiro as well. He was still trying to figure out the words he had said at the living room. Shiro meanwhile introduced Yoh to his friends.

'Haruka, Karin, Yukino, meet our younger twin Asakura Yoh.'

'Nice to meet you Yoh-san.' the three said in unison.

'Nice to meet you too.' he grinned sheepishly.

'So Yoh-san, have you always been living with your parents?' Haruka asked.

'Not really...I came Funbari a while ago and I lived with Anna.'

'A-Anna? Did you mean t-that woman?' Haruka pointed to Anna.

'Yeah...she's the one.'

'Say Yoh-san-'

'Just call me Yoh will do.'

'Say Yoh, what is your relationship with that Anna girl?'

'That girl is his future wife Karin.' silence enveloped all of them.

'EHHHH?'

'B-But you're still so young!'

'Still, to have achieved such a level...I'm utterly defeated!' Haruka said as stream of tears rolled down his cheeks.

'Actually, it's a planned marriage. The Asakura's will only choose shamans as candidates in order to preserve the strong line of shamans. Though...I have to admit Yoh is really good when it comes to this aspect since there are two girls in love with him...' Hao said and Yoh's face turned red.

'What? I haven't even manage to get a girlfriend!'

'You don't have to worry. I don't have one neither so we're in a sense companions.' Haruka and Hao raised an eyebrow.

'You don't have any girlfriend? Then, who are they Yuu?' Haruka pointed to Karin and Yukino.

'Well, they are only normal girlfriends not those intimate ones. Eh, Yukino, Karin, are you two alright? Your face seems red.' The two girls blushed harder.

'You're very clueless in this aspect do you know that Yuu?'

'Nope.'

'You don't have to worry too much on this aspect though...I'm sure you'll won't be having lots of problems.' Hao averted his gaze at the two girls.

'Anyway, what abilities do you have Yoh?'

'Huh?'

'You know...penetration, summoning arts, divinations and other stuffs...'

'Umm...I only know how to use spirit unity and oversoul-'

'Wrong. You can use furyoku nullification as well remember?'

'Oh yeah...I almost forgot...'

'That's it? I thought you-' Karin shoved Haruka aside.

'You can use furyoku nullification?'

'Yeah...Shiro-nii and Hao-nii know how to use it as well. Right?' Silence engulfed them once more...

'Yuu can use furyoku nullification...as well?'

'Yuuji...' Karin and Haruka called out in a warning tone.

'I-I can explaiiiiiinnnnn.' Karin pinched his cheek while Haruka had him in a headlock.

'What else can he do?' the two turned to Yoh.

'I think so far he only knew furyoku nullification since he's never seen using anything involving furyoku.'

'Haruka...He's suffocating...' Yukino stared at the boy wearily and Haruka sighed in defeat before releasing him. Shiro quickly took in deep breaths.

'Have you learnt you lesson Yuu?' Shiro hid behind Hao and Yoh. He looked at Haruka from behind Hao's shoulder.

'I did learn something...your armpit stinks.' he covered his nose. Everyone burst out laughing and even Haruka smiled.

'You really are looking for trouble aren't you?' he folded his sleeves. Shiro stuck out his tongue at him not noticing everyone was staring at them.

'We're here.' Yukino interrupted.

'I'll deal with you later.' Haruka said as Shiro smiled innocently at him. They stood up and dusted off the dirt of their clothing. Hao whispered something to Shiro and he gave him a 'what?' look.

'Now go, we're running out of time.' he said and gave Shiro a small push. He turned to him and gave a hesitating look before walking towards the Asakura's. They stared at him with a questioning gaze.

'We're almost arriving so Aniki's going to dissolve his oversoul.'

'So, why would you need to tell usSSSSSSSSSSSS!' everyone screamed as the oversoul disappeared into thin air and all of them fell.

'I guess you know why now Horohoro?' Shiro said calm and composed like he always was ignoring the fact he was falling 10,000 feet in the air. He was in a standing position.

'Still, you don't seem all that surprised Shiro.' Shiro shrugged at Ren.

'I'm used to it. Plus...' Suddenly Shiro stopped falling and remained standing midair.

'I can fly.' he said to no one in particular and descended below them as swift as lightning. The next thing they knew they landed on a large phoenix that slowly landed on the ground. Hao, Haruka, Karin and Yukino flew towards them and landed gracefully on the ground.

'Sigh...you shouldn't have done that you know?'

'Well, there's one person whom I think couldn't concentrate under pressure and also...you forgot that Oyamada-san can't use oversoul.' he pointed to a trembling Manta.

'Now that you mentioned it...I actually forgot about that. Still, you can use your oversoul to protect them rather than summoning Fyra correct?'

'W-Wait! It wasn't you who summoned this creature?' Shiro punched his face.

'This creature is named Fyra Boroboro. F-Y-R-A Fyra, understand?'

'It's Horohoro not Boroboro!'

'Well, you called Fyra-chan a creature.'

'It's okay Shiro-sama. I don't really mind.' The phoenix transformed into a child that was probably five to seven years old. Ryu's hair turned into the shape of hearts and Shiro sighed as he turned to his friends and Hao who was refraining themselves from laughing out loud. Ryu went towards the child and presented a bouquet of flowers that appeared out of nowhere.

'My maiden, I've been looking for you all my life. Where have you been all this time?' the child named Fyra raised an eyebrow while Yukino rolled her eyes. The child giggled as another child who resembled the former child appeared out of nowhere and kicked Ryu sending him flying.

'Get lost you pervert!' the child threatened and Hao, Haruka, and Karin finally burst out laughing as Yukino chuckled. Even Shiro was now trying to refrain himself from laughing.

'Now that's really funny!'

'I guess you believe us now Sephira!'

'Believe what?' Yoh asked confused and that only made them laugh harder. He turned to Shiro who sighed.

'Well, Aniki, Haruka, and Sephira had been fighting over something and so...'

'We have successfully proven that it is possible...for Fyra to pick up on guys! Even if he is a male!' Haruka and Hao said in unison and continued laughing.

'That's a guy?' Ryu's head perked up in surprise.

'Yes. He's a boy Ryunosuke-san.'

'Shiro-sama!' both of them ran towards him. He reach out to them with open arms and both of them lunged themselves at him. He caught them in his arms and they both giggled. Karin smiled.

'You really get along well with children you know that?'

'Yeah...Aniki said that as well.'

'Anyway, we're already 20 minutes late so it's about time we start our training program Shiro.'

'Eh? Shiro-sama is going for training again?' Fyra and Sephira said in unison.

'Well, he needs to train in order to get stronger.' Haruka replied. Fyra and Sephira jumped out of Shiro's arm and went towards them with a puppy face.

'Can we train with Shiro-sama too pleaseeeeeee...' they gave a pleading look.

'NO.' was both Hao and Haruka's reply and the two fell over.

'But we haven't been training with him for quite a while already!' they two pouted. Shiro ruffled their hair and knelt down so that he was on eye level with them.

'You both just watch me from here. If anything ever goes wrong then that is the time when you both are allowed to take actions alright?'

'But-'

'Alright now, you both are going to protect the people over there for me so that I can give it my all okay?'

'Fine.'

'Thank you.' Shiro gave them a hug.

'Shiro, could you help me for a moment here? Something's wrong with my staff.'

'Sure.' he walked away from the two and both Fyra and Sephira stared at the others with an annoyed expression.

'Why would we be protecting them?' the two muttered to no one in particular. Suddenly, their eyes landed on a mirror image of Hao and Shiro who was sitting on the floor blinking at them and their expression turned serious. Hao placed his hand on their shoulder.

'Fyra, Sephira, would you like to go and meet my beloved brother while I go and help Haruka and Shiro?' Hao asked with a tinge of malice in his voice. Fyra and Sephira nodded before going towards Yoh. They both walked around Yoh and inspected him from all side.

'You're too weak.' they both said suddenly and Yoh fell over.

'Well, I'm not Hao-nii or Shiro-nii so-'

'That has nothing to do with them. The main reason you're weak is because you're too lazy and carefree.' Sephira retorted surprising the others.

'How'd you know?' Manta asked.

'Firstly, you had headphones on your head. Secondly, you show almost no signs of tiredness. Also, your furyoku was a little low compared to both of your brothers although we weren't really surprised about it. You're after all the most luckiest one among your brothers.'

'What do you mean?'

'It simply means we already know everything about you Asakura Yoh. That includes what have you done during the shaman tournament.' the two replied in unison and Yoh lowered his head.

'He did it for the sake of protecting us. Hao would have killed all of us that time.'

'Things wouldn't have happened that way if you gave him another chance Asakura Yohmei.' they both retorted.

'But if things have not happened the way it was then I wouldn't have been your master correct?' the two turned to Shiro in surprise.

'I hate it when you said that.' Hao said grimly.

'Same here.' Fyra and Sephira said in unison.

'Well, that's the truth whether you like it or not. Plus, you've gained something good from it so it wasn't really a bad thing. Right Yoh?' he asked and Yoh blinked in surprise.

'Umm…yeah…'

**'I guess…' **Yoh thought to himself as Shiro looked at him with an unreadable expression.

'Yoh, would you mind joining me for training?'

'EH?'

'ABSOLUTELY NO! YOU ARE GOING ALONE!' Hao and Haruka yelled so loud at the same time everyone's eardrum would have burst from its sheer intensity. However, Shiro didn't seem to be affected in any way. Instead...

'Nope. He's coming with me whether you both like it or not so deal with it. Yoh!' he called out and walked away. Dropped jaws and gasps were what he received for disobeying the order of the great Asakura Hao as Yoh obediently followed his brother and left. Haruka sighed and abruptly turned to Hao with an expression showing discomfort. This was the first time Shiro had actually disobeyed his brother's order so Haruka was a tad bit worried for how Hao would react and the others were thinking the same thing as they stared at Hao. However, they all had been proven wrong as Hao smiled and shook his head.

'He really is a strong boy after all...' he said to no one in particular.

* * *

'Shiro-nii...'

'Yes?'

'Is it really alright for you to...disobey Hao-nii?' Shiro stopped in his tracks and turned to Yoh.

'Are you saying that I am not capable enough to take care of myself?'

'That's not what I meant! I-It's just that-'

'You don't need to worry. I'll manage somehow.' he cut him off and continued walking. Yoh remained silent and followed him.

'You shouldn't feel guilty for what you've done you know.' Yoh's head perked up in surprise.

'Umm...are you refering to what Sephira-chan and Fyra-chan told me or are you refering to what happened just now?'

'Both actually. Its fine to voice out your opinion if you think that someone is wrong but still, it depends on the circumstances like who you are talking to or what is the subject of the conversation.'

'Well, I don't want to hurt their feelings-'

'They would have been more hurt if you never told them what exactly is on your mind because it'll made them thought that you could not trust them if they were to find out the truth. Plus, your friends aren't weak. They shouldn't be having any problems handling their emotions. In addition, even if they hated you for what you decide they can't do anything about it because only you can make your own decision. What's most important of all when making a decision is that you have no regrets over it and _that_ is the problem with you. You're being consumed by your regrets and now you're wallowing in self-pity.' Yoh lowered his head.

**'Sigh...he's doing it again.' **Shiro hugged his younger brother.

'Yoh, I am not scolding you neither am I angry with you. What I'm trying to tell you is that you're looking at things the wrong way which made you regret over what you've done in the past. Try and look at the bright side Yoh.'

'Even if you say so, how am I supposed to do that when in truth I killed my brother?' tears ran down his cheeks.

'You didn't kill him Yoh. You might have fought with him but you didn't kill him. That's why he's still alive. That's why I am alive Yoh. Do you think I would ever came into this world if that fight never took place? Do you think I'll be standing here if you hadn't faught with our brother?' Shiro wiped his cheek with his hands and smiled so gently he himself was surprised as he had never been that gentle to anyone.

'Just let it go Otouto. There is nothing to be worried about. Plus...' he stroked his hair in a gentle way reminding him of his mother.

'Brothers argue don't they?' he smiled and walked away. Yoh wiped his face clean. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt a strong sense of peace and tranquility washing over him. It was if a large burden had just been lifted off from his shoulders.

'Onii-chan, wait up!' He smiled as he went after his brother.

* * *

**To arkee:**

**Actually, he calls both of them Nii-san but Yoh would call Hao by his name more frequently because I was planning to make Yoh stop calling Hao by his name only when they started getting along better...**

**To Xien_Rue:**

**To be honest with you, I don't think I will ever discontinue this story unless it's complete because I really really enjoyed writing my fanfic now. The only problem is that I have my own life so I can't update my fanfic that often...As for when I will focus on Shiro and Asakura family relationship...only Great Spirit can tell...hehehe...**

**To all readers:**

**Thanks for supporting my fanfic. You're one of the main reason I enjoyed doing all this...**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

**

* * *

'Brothers argue don't they?' he smiled and walked away. Yoh wiped his face clean. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt a strong sense of peace and tranquility washing over him. It was if a large burden had just been lifted off from his shoulders.**

**'Onii-chan, wait up!' He smiled as he went after his brother.**

However, a massive fireball flew towards his brother and exploded. Yoh fell from the huge impact and he was so shocked it took him a few minutes for the incident to register in his mind. He looked towards the direction where the forest had been engulfed in flames together with his brother.

'ANIKI!' Yoh screamed and he could have sworn he saw a bluish sphere glowing amidst the flames. The sphere became bigger and bigger and a silhouette could be seen inside the sphere. Shiro came out of the fire unharmed. The bluish glow dissipated and he stretched out his hand to a flabbergasted Yoh.

'Are you alright Yoh?' he asked receiving no reply. He heaved a sigh. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Yoh to join him for training. Yoh took his outstretched hand snapping him from his thoughts. Then, he quickly checked up on his brother with a worried expression.

'Aniki, are you hurt?' he asked wearily and Shiro ruffled his hair.

'I'm fine Yoh. For now.' Yoh was about to ask him what did he mean by that when another three massive fireballs came towards their way. Yoh braced himself for the attack when he felt himself being carried up and the next thing he knew he was high up in the air. He blushed as his brother wrapped his arms protectively around him.

'My hands are full so hold on tight or you'll fall...' Shiro said in a warning tone before clasping his hands together and reciting an incantation of some sort. A strong gust of wind began swirling around both of them. The wind then surrounded the two and it managed to destroy the three fireballs from reaching them. Suddenly, Spirit of Fire appeared in front of them with Hao sitting on its shoulder with Yukino, Karin and Haruka. Yoh blanched.

'Shiro-nii, please don't tell me you're going to-'

'Sorry Yoh but he is the one who declared the war so I can't really decline the offer.' Yoh gapped.

'You'll die!'

'Didn't you always say things would work out?'

'T-That's not the same!'

'If you have no confident in winning then I suggest you stay down there and watch. We're only training so you don't need to worry Yoh-san.'

'Haruka's right. If you're going to stand behind him like that it's best for you to be a spectator for you'll only be a burden.' Yoh's face reddened.

'It's fine Karin. I wanted him to be by my side so that I won't get too carried away with my battles. Plus, I could learn to protect someone from danger.' Hao raised an eyebrow.

'Say Yoh, would you like to stay up here with him or would you like to just sit down and watch?' Yoh hesitated for a moment as he stared from Shiro to Hao to his family and friends that was watching the scene from below.

'Yoh, I won't force you to be involved in this so if you don't want to do this I'll just take you back to your-'

'I'll stay.' Yoh answered with a determined expression.

'I'll just say this once Yoh, even if you're the weakest among us I won't go easy on you. That's why even if Shiro is defending you there is no guarantee you won't be injured. Still, are you sure you want to stay up here Yoh? Even if you might put your own life at risk?'

'Aniki, aren't you a bit too harsh towards a beginner?'

'Did you forgot what I've always told you about reality Shiro?' silence engulfed them as Hao's question was left hanging in the air.

'No...You said only the strongest one survives...' Shiro muttered.

'That's right. If he is going to fight an opponent that is stronger than him, he will have to make himself up to their par for they shows absolutely _no_ mercy-'

'-which is what you as his brother was doing.' Shiro cut him off and Yoh could have sworn Hao's smile was struck off from his face.

'You know what Shiro...you've been getting on my nerves a lot recently.'

'So are you.' he retorted sarcastically surprising even Hao himself. Hao heaved a sigh and stood up.

'I guess we'll be going then.' Yukino, Karin and Haruka decided to not join the fight for today as it is more of a sibling rivalry.

'Looks like I have a lot of lessons need to be pound into your head today Shiro.' he gave them a simple, sincere smile. One that Yoh would rather not see again.

* * *

_Clash!_

Shiro fell down onto the floor and his sword pierced on the ground a few meters away from him. Then, Yoh fell on top of him. Hao landed gracefully on the ground and walked towards the two all the while holding Spirit of Fire which had been turned into sword form. Yoh's parents and friends was about to ran towards the two when Fyra and Sephira stopped them.

'Get out of the way you two!' Horohoro yelled.

'Please stay put. We're given orders to not let anyone interrupt their fight.' the two said.

'So that he could kill Yoh and Shiro? Give us a break!'

'I know you're all worried but rest assured they will be fin-wait, did you just said AND SHIRO?'

'Of course! Who else would we care other than Shiro and Yoh? Hao?' Mikihisa retorted and they looked at them with an awkward expression.

'W-What?' Mikihisa asked and the two blinked as their gaze softened.

'Well...since the past not many people really cared about Shiro-sama...Still, I can't let you interfere in this fight.' they went back to the main subject.

'Please Fyra, let us go and help them. They've been fighting for an hour already.' Keiko pleaded.

'If this goes on they'll die!'

'I can assure you they both won't die.'

Yohmei was about to continue when they heard a clashing sound. They turned to the source of the sound and saw Yoh and Shiro sitting on the floor. Yoh's sword was again pierced on the ground a few meters from him but Shiro was still holding his sword. Hao once again walked towards his two younger brothers. Yoh became nervous but to his surprise, he smiled and reach out his hand to Shiro.

'Are you alright Shiro?'

'I'm fine..._gasp_...Who did you..._gasp_...take me for?' he stood up ignoring the pyro shaman's offer causing him to blink. Shiro turned to Yoh and reached out his hand to him but he did not say anything. Yoh looked at his hand in surprise and looked up to him but he averted his gaze.

'Don't misunderstood. I'm only doing this because I dragged you into this mess. So, are you going to stand up or not?' Yoh caught his hand almost immediately.

'Of course! It's not everyday Nii-chan lend me a hand...' he grinned and stand up.

'So, is the practice finally over?' Haruka interrupted as everyone walked towards them.

'Yup. It's over alright.' Shiro replied.

'Eh? But I thought Nii-chan said practice'll only be over if we manage to hit him?'

'Yup, that's exactly the rule Yoh.'

'and he sure did hit me alright.' Hao pointed at his chest where there was a small cut.

'Wow...you actually manage to hit him? T-That's amazing!' Keiko praised him.

'Nah...it's just dumb luck.'

'You'll definitely make a great ally Shiro.' Yohmei said and for a moment everyone turned silent. Yoh could have sworn Shiro's face darkened.

'What makes you think I want to have any allies? It's not like I'm weak or anything and plus, they'll just cause me more trouble. I'm better off doing things on my own.' he said coldly and all of them stared at him with comical expressions. Hao sighed and placed one of his hands on his forehead. Yukino did the same thing.

'But Nii-chan, everyone needs someone to help or at least take care of them when they're in trouble.'

'Well I don't need anyone as allies.'

'But-'

'Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'm going out for a walk. **ALONE**.' he said and stormed off into the woods. Anna stared at Shiro who was leaving and her expression turned from emotionless to serious.

'What's with him?' Horohoro asked.

'It's more like what's with you suddenly bringing up the topic about allies.' Hao turned to Yohmei.

'Hey! Tou-san was just trying to praise him that's all.'

'It's not that we mind about that Mikihisa but I recommend that you said nothing more about allies when you're with him alright? He had the least pleasure when it comes to that discussion.'

'Well...Let's just hope he'll still act like the way he had been when he gets back.'

'Yeah...still, I think we should just go home for now. I'm dying for a sleep.'

'Is it okay to leave him here?'

'Of course, he takes good care of himself most of the time. You don't need to worry too much Yoh.'

'and what about the gem? You said you're going to look for them but all you did was fight for an hour or so.' Yukino crossed her arms over her chest.

'Well, looking for the gem was actually a mere excuse to get out of the house. In fact...' Hao dig into his pocket and took out the gem that supposedly had been previously thrown away by Hao.

'How did you-'

'The one we threw at the amusement park back then was just a copy of this gem. We found it while Shiro and I was walking around the mall.'

'Then that means you've mistaken it as the one you're holding right now.'

'Precisely. Since Shiro thought it would be useful so he forced me to keep it. I didn't really expect it to be that useful though...'

'You should have told us sooner Fuyuki! For a moment we thought you both lost your minds.' Haruka said and Hao laughed.

'Alright then...I guess now one of our problems is solved. Then, on to the next problem w-'

'We'll have to face Sayuri and Tsuzuki right?' everyone jumped at Shiro's sudden interruption.

'Shiro!'

'I'm done with my walk. If you're all done talking we'd better make our move. I don't have much time to waste.' he said and walked away. Haruka and hao exchanged glances and sighed.

'Looks like the rude-and-cold-personality is back in action.' both said and sighed once more.

* * *

Tsuzuki took a sip from his tea as he watched the scenery of the garden. He had gone tired waiting for them in the mansion so he decided to come out and take some fresh air. As his gaze was focused on two birds that perched themselves on the branch of the tree above him, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing indicating someone's approach. He didn't need to turn to know who they were. He waited for seconds that seemed like hours to him as the sound of footsteps became clearer telling him they're coming closer to him. Finally, he turned to Shiro and the others.

'You're finally back huh? Took you long enough.'

'Sorry for the wait...the traffic was awful today.' Shiro said and walked towards him. Tsuzuki blinked for a moment but said nothing. He took a sip from his cup of tea.

'It would be best if you all would give us some privacy. I would like to talk to Shiro alone-'

'There's no need for that. Just spit out whatever you're trying to say. We've other things need to be dealt with.' Tsuzuki hesitated. He knew the boy have gained the upper hand in the argument.

'You shouldn't talk so rudely with someone who's elder than you Shiro. Even if you're in a bad mood, you shouldn't vent your anger on others.' Sayuri interrupted. Shiro glared at her surprising her. He turned away from them.

'I'm going to take a shower.'

'Oi! Don't just decide things on your own!'

'We'll talk about things later.' he said and walked away ignoring Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki heaved a sigh.

'Hey.' Hao called out to him and threw the gem at his direction.

'I don't think he's in the mood to be discussing anything at the moment. I'm going to take some rest in the meantime so if you don't mind we'll save our little chitchat for later. Think you're alright with that?'

'Sigh...I don't think I have a choice in this matter. Do whatever you want.'

'It's settled then.' Hao said walked away.

'Wait for me!' Haruka called out and chased after Hao. Tsuzuki turned to the others.

'You all must have been tired as well. Why don't you all go and take some rest?'

'Sounds good to me.' Horohoro stretched and gave a big yawn. Anna smacked him on the head.

'Idiot.'

'Well then, let's go and get some rest. I think we all need it.'

With that, everyone went back into the mansion...

* * *

'Ahhh...It feels so refreshing.'

'Yeah...Too bad we couldn't stay here too long. Right Karin?' Sara turned to Karin.

'Well it can't be avoided, since we took over Shiro's turn to take a bath.' Yukino said and turned to the entrance with an apologetic smile. Shiro is still waiting for his turn outside the door.

'Well, ladies should be the first one to bath before the gentlemen. Plus, didn't people always say 'ladies first'?' Kaoru retorted.

'That's true...but still, he was the one who came here first...'

'Nevermind that. He was the one who let us in anyway.' Kaoru replied casually.

'Sounds more like you force Shiro into it.' all of them shot back.

* * *

Everyone stopped in their tracks and blinked in surprise when they saw Hao and Haruka who stood there silently watching something.

'Nii-chan-'

'Don't. speak.' Hao cut him off.

'Hey! Who'd you think you are-' Keiko stopped his father. She put her index finger near her mouth.

'Shhhh...he's asleep.' she said and pointed to a figure on the floor. Everyone blinked in surprise. A few inches in front of them, Shiro was sleeping on the floor in a sitting position with a towel hanging over his shoulders.

'What's he doing sleeping on the floor like that? Not to mention how on earth could he sleep in such an uncomfortable position?' Horohoro asked.

'My guessing is that the girls took over his turn to take a bath.' Tsuzuki answered.

'Eh?'

'Well, Kaoru kind of had the habit of abusing and twisting the word _'ladies first!'_ you know...' Haruka replied.

'I guess he pooped out while waiting for his turn.' Hao continued. There was a moment of silence...

'Then why didn't you take him to bed?' Yohmei asked.

'We wanted to do that but we had a little problem-'

'I'll get him to bed then.' Mikihisa walked towards him but Hao and Haruka stopped him.

'You shouldn't get too close Mikihisa.'

'Don't try to stop me Hao. You might have been my son but I won't go easy on you.'

'Oh really, we wouldn't have done that if we were you.' Haruka interrupted.

'What do you mean?' Anna asked and gave a look that says I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer. Haruka sighed and turned to Hao who gave a nod. He began reciting an incantation and Yoh could have sworn he heard something growling. Suddenly, a dog with whitish fur and a long fluffy tail became visible and it was surrounding Shiro while glaring at Mikihisa. Apparently, it was protecting him. The dog disappeared shortly after.

'You were saying?' Hao glared at Mikihisa before turning away from him.

'How did that dog became invisible?'

'Shiro obviously done something to it.'

'It's so big...It could have swallowed me in one bite.' Manta said trembling.

'Anyway, with that invisible hound looking out for him, we won't be able to get him to bed and if you get too close to him he'll awoke Shiro which will definitely make my plans meaningless. Plus, as much as I hated a **certain someone**, I wouldn't want to fight that **certain someone** using such a **lowly method **in which it will also disrupt my brother's sleep.' he emphasized clear enough for everyone to hear.

'Like we'll believe you.' Yohmei sneered.

'Hey, I don't think you know it but I've been their friends long enough to know whether Fuyuki cared about Shiro or not and from what I've seen he **does** care for him. You've seen it for yourselves as well so why can't you trust him a little? Isn't he your grandson?'

'He was never, is never, and never will be my grandson! I don't have a grandson like him! and I'll never believe his words!' he exclaimed.

'Who cares whether you believe him or not? I believe in him. Shiro and his friends had also believed in him. That's already enough!' the Asakura's were totally flabbergasted by his words and the same goes to Yoh's friends. Hao himself was surprised as well.

'I see...so that demon had poisoned your mind as well...'

'Demon? Demon? What about you? You're always holding on to your useless prejudice and not giving him a second chance to turn over a new leaf. Not to mention about what you did to your own grandsons when they had just got out of their mothers womb!' Haruka said and all of them looked at him in shock including Hao.

'You must be thinking 'how did he know?' right? Oh that's not all...I knew a lot about what you did but of course, I won't say it. These are actually one of the many secrets that Shiro and I shared together. I'm not supposed to say anything about it but you made me so I have no choice. I'll tell you this just in case you don't know, Shiro never acknowledges people who thinks of his brother as a demon.'

'That's because that demon poisoned his mind! If only I had knew of him sooner I would've-'

'Take him back from Fuyuki and brainwash him so that he'll kill his own flesh and blood? his very own family?' Haruka cut him off and for a moment Yoh realized something. Haruka's words had only brought a small tinge of guilt to Yoh. In fact, it also brought a tidbit feeling of happiness to him as he remembered about Shiro's existence.

**'I guess Shiro-nii's words really is effective...'** he thought to himself and smiled.

'What's the matter Yoh?' Anna asked and he shook his head.

'It's nothing.' Yoh smiled to him and Anna blinked. Yoh had never smiled like that ever since the incident with the shaman tournament happened. Well, he did smile but it was all fake smiles that was used to prevent the others from worrying.

'Hao is never a part of the family!' Yohmei yelled snapping her out of her thoughts.

'IS THAT SO?' Shiro spoke in an unusually cold manner surprising everyone.

'Sorry about the noise Shiro. Did we woke you up?'

'No. Zero did.'

'Zero?'

'Ugh...That stupid dog.'

'It's not stupid you know, in fact, it's really smart and it knows exactly when to wake me up. Right Zero?' to everyone's surprise, the dog gave a bark.

'Good boy.' he said an began reciting an incantation. The dog then became visible.

'Umm...Shiro, by the word 'it knows exactly when to wake me up' does that mean...'

'Yeah...I heard everything.' he stood up.

'Honestly Haruka, you need to learn how to control your temper or else you're going to end up breaking all of our little secrets.'

'Heheheh...sorry about tha-wait, you're not going to punish me for breaking the rules or anything?' everyone stared at him with questioning gaze.

'Whatever happens, it happens. There's nothing I can do about it. Plus, I'm a little bit tired so lecturing you would be wasting a lot of energy so this time I'll let it slide. _Next time, I'll show you no mercy_.' he emphasized in a cold voice that send chills down his spine.

'O-okay.'

'Now if you all don't mind me...' he trailed off.

_SLAM!_

The door leading to the bathroom was suddenly barged open.

'We're done Shiro!' Kaoru's said cheerfully.

'Kaoru-san, you shouldn't slam the door like that.' Karin told her but apparently it had fallen to deaf ears.

'So, how do you feel?'

'I feel so great! The water's so refreshing! Thanks for giving us your place Shiro! We'll be going then!'

'Alright, see you later.' he said and picked up the towel that fell onto the floor when he stood up just now.

'I'll be taking my shower then. Let's go Zero.'

'Shiro wait, I want to take a shower too.'

'Me too.'

'Oh, alright.' they all went in.

'Nii-chan wait!' Yoh called out before Shiro closed the door fully. Hao and Haruka poked out their heads from above.

'Yes?' the three asked at the same time.

'Uhmmm...can I...join you as well?'

'and me too...' Manta continued.

'Mind if we both join you as well?' Ryu and Faust walked towards them. Yoh turned to his friend in surprise. They smiled at him and he immediately understood why. They were worried about him and they are willing to give Hao a second chance.

'Can I join as well Hao-dono?' Amidamaru who appeared out of nowhere asked.

'Hold on a second.' Shiro pushed Hao and Haruka in and closed the door. Yoh heard them muttering something but couldn't make out what they were saying other than when Shiro yelled 'WHAT?'. Then, Shiro opened the door. He hesitated for a moment and Haruka pushed him forward. He turned to glare at him before turning back to Yoh. He averted his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest.

'You can come in if you want as long as a certain person won't be suspecting us of doing anything like brainwashing.' Everyone turned to Yohmei.

'Fine, but I want Mikihisa and all of Yoh's friend to go in to make sure Yoh's fine.'

'Huh?'

'Sigh...we're only taking a shower Yohmei. If you're so worried about him then why don't you just go in and stare at your grandson 24 hours. I'm sure he won't be talking to Aniki anytime soon.' he said and Yohmei's face turned red in anger and embarrassment.

'You insolent brat. That demon has-'

'Demon? Where?' Shiro acted dumb and turned left and right before going in to look for the demon. From the outside, Yoh could hear Shiro asking...

'Aniki, Haruka, you guys saw any demon here?' he exclaimed.

'NO!' was the reply. Shiro came out again.

'Sorry, no signs of any demons. It must've been your imagination.'

'Stop acting dumb Shiro! You know what we are talking about!' Anna yelled in Yohmei's behalf.

'Pardon me?'

'Grrr...' Anna raised her left hand prepared to give him the legendary left. However, Shiro caught her hand before it manage to reach his face. She raised her right hand and was about to slap him but he caught it as well.

'In case you forgot Okami, I'm not Yoh. I won't let you slap me just like how he did. I'm not your puppet or worker.'

'Let me go.' she struggled to break off his iron grip but to no avail.

'As you wish.' he let go and she fell down on the floor.

'Anna!' Yoh dashed towards her.

'Onii-chan how could you do that?'

'I wouldn't have done that if she didn't do anything.'

'That's not the point! Look at what you did! Her wrist is all red!'

'Sorry about that. I guess I put in too much force.'

'Bastard.'

'Anyway, if you still want to join us, I don't mind as long as it doesn't cause us any trouble. However, I would like to clarify something with you. I'm not an angel and I do have a bad temper in case you don't know. Also, I never acknowledge those who doesn't acknowledge my brother as a human. If you can't seem to acknowledge my brother, then I suggest you forget about trying to gain my acceptance. If you want to hold on to your little prejudices then, I'm going to hold on to my prejudices too. First of all, don't call me Asakura anymore, I'm not an Asakura. I don't have any last name, only first names which is either Shiro or Yuuji. I was born from an egg. My mother and father died before I was born so I had no idea who am I and where did I came from. The only person blood related to me is my brother whom people mistaken him as Asakura Hao when his true name is Fuyuki.' everyone stared incredulously at the boy.

'Onii-chan, how could you say such a thing?'

'Yoh, I don't mind if you say hurt me or say bad things about me but I **do** mind if you hurt or say bad things about my brother. Before I knew of you, he had been the one who **really** took care of me. He always stood beside me no matter what happens. He had also taught me many things that I don't know. To you all, he might've been a demon but to me, he is my brother and I will stand by him even if it means putting my life on the line.'

'That demon had poisoned your mind!' Yohmei exclaimed angrily.

'He **did not** poison my mind! I'm doing this out of my very own will! I believe in him and I will always stand by him until the end even if no one will!'

'But why? Why are you doing this for someone like him?'

'BECAUSE HE WILL ALWAYS BE MY BROTHER FIRST BEFORE HE WAS A DEMON!' he yelled and everyone turned silent. That was when Yoh's parents and grandparents realized their mistake. Yohmei didn't argue further and remained silent. Shiro knows he already won this argument.

'I'll leave the door open so do whatever you want.' he slammed the door shut.

* * *

The sound of running water and mist filled the place. Suddenly...

'Shiro?' Hao turned to his mirror image that was washing his hair.

'Hmm...' he asked as if nothing happened a few moments ago.

'It would've been better if you had just said what I've told you in the first place you know...'

'Well, I did say I'll never acknowledge someone who doesn't acknowledge Aniki right? Since I went on bragging about it, I can't really slack off.'

'Still, they were your family. You deserve their affection and care.'

'Don't worry, I have your affection and care so that is enough.'

'Hey! What about me and Karin?'

'Combined with my friends affection and care.' Shiro added and went to pick up his towel before using it to wipe himself.

'Shiro, answer this question truthfully. Have you ever wanted their affection and care?' for a moment Shiro's expression turned distant.

'Sigh... I hated to admit it but the fact is that they are my real family. Still, I don't want their affection. At least, not anymore...'

'Huh? What do you mean not anymore?'

'You see Haruka, in the past before Aniki cared about my well being, I have always wondered 'Why don't I have anyone that cares about me? Why did everyone shunned me and treated me as if I wasn't there?' but when I came to know that I had parents and also grandparents, I was really excited to know them. But then, everything was just too good to be true...when I was disguising as Aniki, I realised they had never accepted Aniki as a family because of what he did in the past. They only sees Yoh as a part of the family. When I found out about it, I knew I had to choose either Aniki or them. And i decided to stand by Aniki's side.' Shiro turned to Hao and smiled.

'Why?'

'That's because I love being with Aniki more than them! Plus, if they were to knew of my sins in the past, I would most probably suffer the same fate so it's best not to take risk seeing how they hold on to prejudices too much.' he shrugged and put on a blue colored T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

'Well, you hold on to prejudices as well! That 'I was born from an egg.' and 'The only person blood related to me is my brother whom people mistaken him as Asakura Hao when his true name is Fuyuki.' thing remember?'

'Of course I remember! I'll remember it for the rest of my life!'

'And as much as I had a good laugh with your 'egg' statement, I have to admit you were great out there Shiro.'

'Thanks for the compliment Haruka.' he said as he switched on the hair dryer.

'Anyway, we'd better get some rest. It's been a long day after all...especially you Shiro.'

'Yeah...you even fell asleep while sitting on the floor just now.'

'I know...' he placed the hair dryer back onto it's original position and threw the three used towel in the laundry basket.

'Are we all done?'

'I'm done.'

'Just a few more seconds...there, all done.'

'Alright then. Come on Zero, we're going back to our room to rest...' the dog ran towards it's master.

'Hey Fuyuki, Shiro, didn't you two need to meet up with Tsuzuki once you're done having your shower.'

'Those talks can wait.'

'Ooookayyyy...anyway, can you sleep in my room please? I feel really lonely in my room since no one was staying in my room.'

'Fine by me. What about you Aniki?'

'It shouldn't be a problem if we sleep in the same room as long as we keep our distance.'

'Yay!'

'You can be childish at times Haruka...'

'So do you.' Shiro shot back and Hao suddenly ruffled their head in a brotherly manner.

'You both are.' he said and they all laughed.

* * *

Yoh sat down on the bench and heaved a sigh.

'What are you doing here?' a voice asked from behind startling him half to death.

'Y-You scared me Nakamura-sensei!'

'Oh, did I? Sorry about that. It wasn't my intention to startle you.'

'I-It's fine. I don't really mind.' he looked down on the grass.

'So, what brings you here Asakura-kun?'

'I-It's nothing. I was just trying to get some fresh air...' he said and sighed heavily.

'Hmm...let me guess, Shiro had an argument with your family didn't he?' Yoh looked at him with shock.

'Looks like I hit the bull's eye.' Nakamura smiled at him. He sighed again. Nakamura went and take a seat beside him.

'You don't have to take it to heart what he said you know. He was just doing it on purpose so that nobody wants to get along with him.'

'Huh?'

'He was always like this. Always hurting other people he cared on purpose and showing no signs of remorse of what he'd done just so that you wouldn't get too close too him.'

'I don't really understand...What are you talking about?' Nakamura stood up and turned to him.

'All of that is for you to figure it out.' he said and Yoh became even more confused.

'Alright then, I'm going to give the horses a little check up. Mind to join me Asakura-kun?'

'Uhh...sure...By the way, you can just call me Yoh.'

'Oh, alright then. Let's go Yoh.'

* * *

Everything was pitch black. Out of a sudden...

**'Shiro...Shiro...'  
**

'Huh?'

**'Shiro...'  
**

'Hikari?'

**'Shiro, you have to wake up now...'**

'What are you talking about? Is there something wrong?'

**'Shiro, I can't explain it but you have to wake up now. Head towards the farm before it's too late!'**

Shiro awoke with a start. He turned to his side and saw Hao and Haruka still sleeping. He looked out to the window and realised the sky was already dark.

'Head towards the farm before it's too late!' her words echoed in his head and he instantly got off the bed and grabbed his sword and a white coat before running out of the room. He had a bad feeling about all this...

* * *

'Whoa...I didn't notice there were actually that many horses the last time I came.' he stared at the stalls of horses in front of him.

'Would you like to meet your brother's horses?'

'Nii-chan have their own horses as well?'

'Of course, since they are the only ones who could tame the two horses Tsuzuki decided they could have them. Want to meet them?'

'Of course!'

Yoh was about to walk away with Nakamura when someone abruptly barged open the door causing both of them to jump. Yoh turned to see who it was and to his surprise, it was Shiro. He looked like he had just come back from a marathon.

'RUN!' he yelled but it was too late. The window above them was suddenly broke into million pieces as a figure holding two swords came crashing in from the window.

'Found you, Asakura Hao.' The person launched an attack on Yoh and Nakamura from above producing a lot of smoke as the he landed gracefully on the ground.

_Slash!_

An attack was launched from inside the smoke and the man immediately darted to the left.

'Don't you even know how to knock first before coming in?' Shiro held up his sword in a defensive position. The man smirked before shifting his gaze onto Yoh that was standing behind him.

'I see I got the wrong person. Now that you're here...' he turned to Shiro and the next thing he knew their swords have clashed with each other.

'I'm going to kill you.' he said and withdraw from his position.

'Who are you? What do you want?' Shiro yelled but apparently it had fallen onto deaf ears as the man launched an attack.

'Frigid laceration!' Shiro launched an attack as well. Both attacks collided and explode sending the two flying before skidding on the ground.

'Onii-chan!'

'Stay where you are!' Shiro staggered himself up almost immediately. The man did the same thing. He gave a wicked smile.

'Hehehe...you're pretty good for your age Hao...but not for long...' he began launching attacks continuously at Shiro. He dodged he attack by darting either left or right.

'Hey!' Shiro's sword clashed with his opponents.

'I'm not Hao!' he yelled and just then, the man's sword grazed the upper part of his arm.

'I am Asahi! Remember that name well!'

'Tch...I just said...I'M NOT HAO!' he swung his sword at the person called Asahi. The man took the opportunity to strike and thrust his sword straight at Shiro but he managed to dodge it with his sword.

'Look, I don't know who the hell you are but you got the wrong person!' However, he jabbed Shiro using his elbow and send him crashing onto the wall.

'Time for you to die Hao!'

'Dammit I am not-_sigh_...nevermind, you're not listening anyway...' he darted to the left successfully evading the attack and swung his sword at him with more force than the previous one. The man jumped backwards and was totally taken aback when a small cut was formed on the left side of his cheek. He touched his cheek and saw blood on his fingers. His grim expression was suddenly replaced by a wicked smile.

'Ahh, now I feel it...'

'You feel what? I'm not feeling anything over here.' Shiro said although it was totally obvious he was not listening.

'Yes, the confidence...I'm feeling great! BWAH HA HA HA HA! Now I feel truly alive! BWAH HA HA HA HA!' Shiro sweatdropped.

**'Yep, he's feeling something alright...' **Shiro thought to himself.

'Hey, don't let it end so quickly alright Hao? cause it's been too long since I got into a fight like this!'

'For the thousand millionth time...I'M NOT HAO!' he yelled angrily. He hate it when someone mistook him for someone else. The two readied their weapons and darted towards each other. Just when their weapons clashed with each other, the door was slammed open and two person wearing black robes stood at the door. Yoh can't see their face as it had been covered by their hood.

'Asahi, retreat immediately!'

'What?'

'The Yoshifumi's are already aware of us. Save your fun for later.'

'Damn it!' he punched one of them in the face and turned to Shiro.

'The next time we meet, I **will** kill you Hao.' he smiled sinisterly.

'I already told you, I'm not Hao! When will you ever listen?' he said but was ignored once again as the man walked out of the door. Yoh and Nakamura sighed in relieve. The lunatic is finally gone. For now.

'Stop!' Shiro yelled snapping them out of their thoughts. Shiro ran towards the door but they have already closed it before he could make it.

'Damn it! I was too late!'

'What's wrong?'

'Sigh...you still don't get it do you?'

'Huh, what do you mean?' he remained silent for a moment before answering...

'We're being locked in.' Shiro's eyes suddenly widened and he quickly ran towards the direction of the window. Yoh turned to the direction of the window as well and that was when he realised what was happening. The farm was on fire.

* * *

'Chuuka Zanmai!' the monster was sliced into half in split second.

'Damn it, where's Yoh?' Anna muttered to herself as she used Hao's shikigami to crush another monster.

Right now, the Asakura's are fighting a group of monsters that was surrounding them at the garden. For some reason, everyone had not sensed anything and to their surprise, it was only Hao, Yukino, Haruka, Karin and Iria who realized their presence and alarmed the whole house. After that, they had headed towards the farm to look for Nakamura while Manta and the Yoshifumi's was in charge of looking for Shiro and Yoh that was nowhere to be found since they were powerless against monsters.

'God...there's still so many of them...' Horohoro gasped for some air.

'Stop goofing around over there! We still need to look for Yoh!' Anna yelled at him and just then, a monster darted towards Kino.

'Kino-sensei!'

'Shikigami!' Yohmei summoned his leaf spirits and attacked but apparently it had little effect on the monster.

'Imari! Shigaraki!' Mikihisa's guardian ghost charged towards the monster and shoved it away from Kino. Keiko meanwhile stared at the direction of the farm where smoke was coming out from the place. It made her wonder what if Shiro and Yoh was inside there? She prayed for the safety of his son.

'Keiko!' Mikihisa's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned only to meet eye to eye with a monster. Suddenly all of the monster was being burnt alive in a mere second all that's left of the monsters were ashes. They turned and saw many horses galloping towards them. A white horse that was ahead of all the horses there sat Shiro with Yoh sitting behind him followed by Hao and Nakamura who was sitting on the black horse.

'We're going to get rid of the monsters around the house so you'll have to get down from here Yoh. Same goes for you Nakamura.'

'Yukino, Karin, Iria, you take care of the other horses and we'll be counting on you on the safety of the others, Haruka.'

'Understood.' all of them said in unison and when they were close enough both Nakamura and Yoh leaped out of the horse and the two horses galloped passed all of them while the other horses were stopped by Iria, Karin, Yukino and Haruka.

* * *

'Ouch!' Shiro yanked his hand away from Yukino as soon as the cotton ball she was holding came in contact with the open cuts on the upper part of his arm. Hao and Haruka exchanged glances with each other. Shiro had been pulling away whenever the cotton ball came in contact with his wounds which was really unusual considering he had strong endurance.

'What's wrong? Did I pressed it too hard?'

'It's not that you pressed too hard but somehow...it gets really painful whenever it touches my wounds.'

'Yukino, hand me the first aid kit. I'll be taking over from here.' Hao walk towards Shiro and inspected his wounds. His eyes narrowed.

'Shiro, from who did you get this cut?' Shiro blinked in confusion.

'Don't you know who did this? I mean that psychotic deaf freak-'

'A psychotic deaf freak?' Hao raised his eyebrows.

'Yeah...he mistook me as you and when I tried to tell him that I am **not** you, he ignored every single one of it like a deaf man. Honestly, what's wrong with him? Can't he see I'm Shiro not Hao? Geez...' Hao, Haruka, Iria, Yukino and Karin stared at him for a moment when Haruka suddenly burst out laughing. Iria, Yukino and Karin began giggling. Even Hao cracked a smile at his lookalike.

'What's so funny?'

'Sorry about that but the way you said it make it sounds...so you.' Haruka said as he ruffled his hair.

'C-Cut it out, you're messing my hair.' he pouted surprising everyone in the room.

'Now thats the Shiro we know...' Hao smiled and Shiro blinked.

'Aniki...'

'Come on, let's get this done the easy way.' Hao placed his hand gently on the open cut and then his hands began to glow. The open cut began to shrink in size and in just one moment, his wound have disappeared totally.

'Now that we're done we should head to the living room. Everyone's waiting for an explanation.'

'Sigh...I really don't feel like going into that room at the moment Haruka.'

'I know, but we also have to talk to Tsuzuki so we might as well just finish it off all at once.'

'Well, you have your point so I can't really argue with that.' Shiro sighed once more.

'Alright then, let's get going.'

Meanwhile at the living room, Nakamura and Yoh was still explaining what had happened at the farm.

'The farm caught on fire while you're in there?' Mikihisa looked at his son in surprise.

'Well yeah...but then thanks to Shiro-nii who got us out of the farm together with the horses in just less than 5 minutes we didn't suffer from any injury. That's all there is to it. End of story.' Yoh said and took a deep breath.

'Hmph, as expected of Shiro. Fast and efficient.'

'Of course, he is after all an Asakura.'

'Did you forgot what I've told you not long ago Anna? I was born from an egg remember?' Shiro interrupted catching everyone's attention.

'Don't call me by my first name Shiro.' she threatened.

'Then don't call me an Asakura.' he replied with an imperturbable expression.

'What's going on? What's with the sudden 'I'm born from an egg' stuff? Aren't they your family Shiro?'

'For your information Shinichi I just broke my little bonds with them.' silence engulfed the room.

'EH!' Everyone (except Haruka, Hao and Shiro himself) looked at Shiro with comical expressions.

'S-Shiro-nii, y-you aren't really serious about that are you?'

'I am serious. In fact, I've already made this decision since a while ago. I just haven't get the chance to say it.'

'Then you're going to follow that demon just like that?' Yohmei pointed to Hao.

'Of course. Do you expect me to be an obedient boy who'll follow your 'Hao is a demon' believe? Gimme a break. He'll never a demon to me. NOR MY FRIENDS. ' he emphasized.

'Does that mean you don't think of him as a demon?' Yohmei turned to Nakamura surprising the veterinarian.

'Well, he could be a little cold towards people sometimes but...yeah, he's not a demon.' his words shocked Yohmei.

'He might have cause Shiro a lot of trouble in the past, it still doesn't mean he's a demon seeing that he cares for him. Don't you agree everyone?'

'Agree.' Yukino, Iria, Karin, Haruka said at the same time.

'That's right! If he really is a demon, he wouldn't even give a damn about Shiro!' Sara continued.

'and he would have most probably keep the existence of his family a secret...' Shinichi added.

'and never told him about it.' Kaoru finished and received a few nods from Yukino, Iria, Karin, Haruka.

'Enough!' everyone fell silent.

'Sigh...Yuuji, come with me.' everyone turned to the said person.

'Huh? M-Me?'

'We would like some privacy with him if you don't mind.' Sayuri pulled him away from Hao. As they walked away, Shiro turned to his brother with a weary look telling him 'help me!'.

**['Have fun...']** Hao purposely thought to him as he waved him goodbye. As soon as the three were out of sight, Haruka turned to Hao.

'Are you sure you're going to just sit still and wait?'

'What made you think that way?'

'Well, if I were Haruka I'll say its because you and Shiro are not the type who could sit still for a long time...' Yukino interrupted and Hao smirked.

'I guess you're right. But before that, I would like to have a talk with you Yohmei.' he said without turning to Yohmei and the Asakura's that was about to leave stopped in their tracks.

'There is nothing for us to talk about Hao.' he continued walking.

'Is that so? Too bad, and I thought I was going to discuss with you about **Shiro**. Oh well, come on guys, we're going to-'

'Hao, wait!' Hao turned to the Asakura's. They were looking at him with a serious expression.

'What do you want to talk about?' Yohmei asked coldly.

Sara and the others that weren't involved went out of the room.

* * *

'Guard the door.' Tsuzuki told the servants and they nodded before going out of the room.

'Have a seat Yuu.' Shiro sat down and remain calm although he was really nervous at the moment seeing that his brother wasn't with him.

'S-So, what do you want to talk about?' he asked with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

'You don't have to be so nervous Yuu, it's not like we're going to punish you or anythi-' Sayuri's voice trailed off as Tsuzuki nudged her and that was when she realised she wasn't supposed to say that. Shiro looked down on the floor.

**'Nii-chan...I'm scared...'** he thought to himself as he wasn't daring enough to tell his brother about it. He didn't want his brother to see him as a weakling like how he did in the past.

**['Shiro, are you there?']** Hao's voice echoed in his head surprising him.

**['Y-You scared me half to death you moron!'] **Shiro gasped.

* * *

Hao blinked in surprise and Haruka noticed it.

'Fuyuki, are you alright?' the pyro shaman turned to him.

'I'm fine. So, what do you think?' he said as he waited for the information to sink into their minds. All of them was still wearing that incredulous expression on their face which was why he decided to have chat with his brother.

**['S-Sorry about that Aniki...']**

**[It's fine. Though, I have a feeling you must have been really nervous in there since you've never scolded me in such a direct way.']**

**['W-Well, before you started talking to me yes.']**

**['Ha ha ha...I knew you'll get messed up when you're alone with them.']**

**['It's not just messed up okay? It's totally tensed up in this place. Good thing those two aren't cannibals cause I felt chills down my spine just by looking at them.']**

**['I'm not all that surprised though considering their actions in the past.']**

**['Sigh...That's one of the memories I won't mind forgetting for the rest of my life...']**

**['Same here...']**

'Fuyuki! Are you even listening here? Someone is talking to you!' Haruka called out snapping Hao out of his mind-to-mind conversation.

**[I'll be right back...]  
**

'Oh, sorry. You were saying?'

'Honestly, what's with you? You're unusually distracted and you were totally spacing off when we're talking to you.'

'Well...that's...uh...'

'You're talking with Shiro-nii aren't you?' Hao turned to Yoh who was smiling at him. Was he that obvious?

Meanwhile at the other room...

'Do you understand?' Tsuzuki asked with an anxious expression.

'Huh?' Shiro looked at him with a blank expression as he had not been paying attention to him at all. Sayuri and Tsuzuki blinked for a moment and heave a sigh.

'In short, since you refuse to accept your family...we were kind of wondering if you would...uh, you know...become a part of us?' Shiro blinked in confusion.

'Umm...I don't really understand...' he scratched his head with a confused expression.

'S-Shiro...w-would you like to become...a part of our family?'

'!' was the only response he could think of...


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

* * *

**'Umm...I don't really understand...' he scratched his head with a confused expression.**

**'S-Shiro...w-would you like to become...a part of our family?'**

**'!' was the only response he could think of...**

'I know this is a bit sudden but we were really serious about this so-'

'I'll have to think it over for a while. Could you give me some time?' Shiro cut them off and they blinked.

'Well, I need to ask Aniki about it first and also, I'm not an orphan anymore. I have a family and as much as I disliked them and refused to acknowledge them, the fact that they are my family won't change.' He scratched his head.

'Sigh…if you were to ask your brother he would most probably reject it almost instantly.' An image of Hao saying 'HELL NO!' appeared on the two adults mind.

'Was he like **that** in your opinion?' the two nodded.

'Yeah…That's why we decided to talk to you instead. If you really came into our family, I'm sure Fuyuki would have come with you.'

'and as much as you both refused to show and admit it in front of us, we knew you both truly care for each other.' Sayuri added and Shiro smiled at that.

'Also, you both make our children happy just by being here.' Shiro remained thoughtful.

'Anyway, back to our topic. I'll give you some time to think it over-'

'How long?' Shiro cut them off once again.

'Hmmm…two weeks. Is that enough?'

'Err…I'm not really sure about that.'

'Sigh…final deal-one month. That should be more than enough right?'

'But-'

'Going once.'

'I-'

'Going twice-'

'Sigh…fine. I'll take it.' Tsuzuki smirked inwardly.

'Don't forget. Just one month. Think over it carefully alright.' the boy nodded in response.

'Alright, discussion's over so you can go back to your brother.'

'Eh? What about the-'

'We'll let it slide this time.' Tsuzuki cut him off this time.

'Now go.' Sayuri shoved him out of the room and closed the door. He read out an incantation and Zero who was previously invisible became visible once more. He stroke the dog by its neck.

'Sigh…let's go Zero.' The now visible white dog trotted beside him as they left.

* * *

Hao was utterly speechless for a moment.

'I guess that's a yes then...' Yoh grinned sheepishly.

'Yoh, what are you talking ab-'

'How did you know?' Yukino stared at the boy.

'Well, Hao-nii was smiling a few moments ago although it was just for a second.'

'Mind to tell me exactly **what** was going on?' Yohmei growled.

'Twins share a typical bond with each other and it could be because of that the certain bond they withheld that they were able to communicate with each other even from afar...am I right?' Yoh was shocked for a moment.

'Well...your answer was close enough Kyoyama-san but at the same time your answers are not all that close.' Haruka told the blond itako.

'What do you mean?'

'That answer only applies to Yoh and Shiro. Though, I won't say anything further concerning that. Right now, we are here to discuss about something else. As I already told you before, we will help you in gaining Shiro's acceptance but in return for all of that you must give up the grudge you have against me. So, do we have a deal or not?'

'No. We can do it without your help.' Yohmei answered.

'I see...our discussion ends here then.' Hao, Haruka, Yukino and Karin stood up at once. Before they walk away Keiko caught Hao by the hand.

'Wait, I want to ask you something. Why are you doing this Hao? Why are you making a deal that isn't bringing any benefit to yourself?'

'As far as I know our discussion already ended Keiko so I have no need to answer your question.' Just when he was about to walk away Yoh caught him by the arm. Hao shrugged off his hand but he grasped his arm tightly.

'Why are you doing this Hao? Do you not want Shiro-nii?'

'Like I said I need not answer your question.'

'Fine, just answer me this. What is Shiro-nii to you?'

'I need not answer your question.' he shrugged off his hand but Yoh caught his hand once more.

'What. is. he. to. you?' Yoh asked with a serious expression. Silence engulfed the whole room as they waited for his answers.

'He is my brother and also one of my most loyal and best friend.' Everyone was surprised by his answer. They thought he was going to say Shiro was a mere tool to him but they were proven wrong.

'He treats me differently compared to you who were my so-called family. He stays with me even after knowing the sins I've commited in the past unlike any of you. Which is why I never intended to use him as a tool nor have I thought of him in such a way.'

**'At least, not anymore...' **he yanked away his hand and was totally taken aback to see Shiro standing in front of him with Zero at his side. His calm and serious expression was suddenly replaced by a smile that Yoh himself had never seen before.

'Thank you, Aniki.' he said using a tone that no one had ever heard before other than Hao. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Right now, Shiro looked almost like an innocent child. That innocent expression reminded them of a certain person that looked almost like him. There is no doubt about it. He is definitely Yoh's twin...

'Come on, let's go back to bed. We've had a long day.'

'Now that you mentioned it I really am tired.' Shiro stretched and the two walked away.

'So, what were you discussing with Tsuzuki and Sayuri?'

'Ah...nothing much. We can save it for tomorrow. What about you? What have you been doing here?'

'Just having a little chitchat with our dearest family...' they went up the stairs and Yoh could hear them closing the door of the room.

'I guess we're all tired already. Let's go get some rest.' Mikihisa said and everyone went back into their rooms.

* * *

The next day, Yoh gave a big yawn as everyone made their way to the breakfast table. It was when everyone had sat in their respective places that he realized the missing presence of five person.

'Where's Yuuji and Fuyuki?' Tsuzuki turned to Yoh and Manta who shrugged.

'We haven't seen them since morning.'

'I see...'

'What about Yukino, Haruka and Karin?'

'They five of them already went out for a picnic.'

'Wow…That was early...'

'Anyway, they asked me to inform you that they're at the usual place.'

'Thanks for the information Shinagawa-san. I guess I should go find them after breakfast. Alright then, who's coming with me?'

'Oh, I wanna go!' Kaoru raised her hand.

'Sara wanna go too!' she raised her hand as well.

'Count me in as well!' Iria said as she was just coming in the room.

'So, is there anyone else that would like to join us?'

'Can I...join you guys? I want to go and see Onii-chan.'

'I see...alright, you're in then!'

'Anna, you will be going too.'

'EH?' Yoh stared at his grandfather.

'No.' was Anna's cold reply.

'Go. I wouldn't want Yoh to be influenced by Hao when they were together.' Yohmei felt Sara glaring at him but he chose to ignore it.

'Fine. He had not been training a lot recently so I could use this chance to do it.' Stream of tears rolled down Yoh's cheek.

'**Poor Yoh.**' Manta thought to himself.

'Anyone else wants to join us?'

'Shinichi, do it after breakfast! The food is going to get cold.'

'Sorry, mom.'

'Alright everyone, itadakimasu!'

'Itadakimasu!'

* * *

Hao and Shiro were having a picnic together with his friends in an open field in the middle of the forest.

'Eh! They actually asked you to become a part of the Yoshifumi family!' Shiro nodded his head.

'What was your reply then?'

'I said I would take it into consideration. Also, the offer was open for you Aniki.'

'Huh? Me?'

'Then why is it that they only asked you?'

'Well, you see...they thought he would reject it almost instantly.'

'They have a point there...' Haruka turned to Hao.

'What about you Aniki?'

'What?'

'You were talking with our so-called family yesterday.'

'Oh, that...'

'Well, Fuyuki was trying to make a deal.' Haruka turned away from Hao who was glaring at him.

'A deal?'

'Yeah. We will help them in gaining your acceptance but in return for all of that they must give up the grudge they have against Fuyuki. Of course, they rejected the offer.'

'EH?'

'Sigh...you deserved their affection and care Shiro.'

'ASAKURA HAO!'

_SMACK!_

'Ow! What was that for?'

'Honestly! Why won't you understand what I'm trying to tell you? I already told you I'll be fine even if they don't want me! Do you think they understand my ways of doing things? Do you think they know where to look for me whenever I disappear out of a sudden? Do you think they know things I like and things I don't? Most importantly, do you think they'll still accept me when they knew of what I did in the past?' everyone was surprised by his sudden outburst. Shiro sighed.

'They never took care of me. Not even once. They don't understand me at all. They knew nothing of me other than the fact we're blood related. They can't even differentiate between the two of us when I disguised as you...' he said quietly. Hao hugged his younger brother surprising him.

'I'm sorry. I guess I made a stupid offer to them.'

'You are making a stupid offer to them.' Shiro pouted and Hao smiled at that.

'Aww...that's so sweet of the both of you. Anyway, we'd better clean things up. It's about time for our next lesson.' Haruka reminded the two.

'Slave driver...' Shiro mumbled.

'I heard that Yuu!'

* * *

'Asakura Yoh!' Anna called out for the third time.

'Coming!' a few moments later the boy appeared at the door.

'Took you long enough.'

'Sorry Anna. I kind of got lost.'

'Would the two of you please get in the car already?' Shinichi sigh exasperatedly. The two turned to them but remained rooted on the spot.

'Come on! We're going to left you behind!' Kaoru called out. Anna turned to Yoh and glared a him.

'I'll deal with you after this.'

* * *

Shiro gasped for air. This whole battle had been hellish from the beginning. He stood up and faced his opponent who is none other than Hao and Haruka.

'Already done for?' Hao smirked as his younger brother glare at him.

'What do you expect! This whole battle was one sided!'

'Well, if I don't do that you won't improve Shiro-chan...' Hao gave a sincere smile.

'Don't address me with the -chan word!' he yelled.

'Ohhhhhhh...How scary...' Haruka smiled as well. That only made Shiro angrier. He clutched his katana and charged forward.

'Austere slash!' he attacked shrouding them in a large burst of light but his brother and friends dodged it with ease.

'The attack was accurate enough.' Hao commented.

'But it's still not enough to cut through our defense.' Haruka continued and stuck out his toungue.

Without another word, Hao and Haruka darted forward simultaneously. They swerved around each other in a zig-zag pattern, making it impossible to fully know who was going to attack, or if they were both going to attack. Shiro took a step back. He couldn't properly tell who was going where!

**'I'm dead.'**

'Howling wind!' Haruka attacked. Shiro dodged, but for a moment, he was off-guard. Hao took the opportunity to attack and Shiro who couldn't put up a defense on time was sent crashing at a tree trunk. Shiro clutched his chest in pain and gasped for air. Yukino and Karin who had been watching ran towards him.

'Are you alright Shiro?' the two asked in unison.

'I'm..._gasp_...fine..._gasp_...I guess..._gasp_...' he took his katana and staggered himself up once more. Yukino turned to Hao and Haruka with a serious expression.

'Haruka, Fuyuki, don't you think its time for a take five?'

'Come on, we've only practiced for an hour! Plus, he is still-' Haruka was immediately cut off by a sudden thud. Shiro have collapsed onto the ground.

'Shiro!' Hao and Haruka ran towards him and after a moment they sighed in relief.

'Thank god. He just fell asleep.'

'I...I'm going to really torment him for worrying me like that.' Haruka said between gritted teeth.

'You done enough tormenting for today. Save it for another day Haruka.' Hao carried him up and walked towards the mat before carefully laying his brother on the mat where Yukino and Karin previously sat while the practice was going on. He then walked towards the horses that was tied to a tree trunk and took Shiro's riding jacket that was hanging on one of the horse's back before using it to cover Shiro.

'Good thing Shiro always brought spare clothes for everyone to wear during horse riding.'

'Yeah...' Hao stroke Shiro's hair.

'Why don't you guys do something else while I take care of Shiro?'

'Sounds like a good idea.'

'I guess we'll get going then. See you later Fuyuki.'

'See you later.' Yukino and Karin said at the same time.

'Don't go too far off from here.' Hao reminded them and then they all walked away together. When they were out of sight and hearing range...

'You can wake up now.' Shiro didn't budge. Hao sighed.

'They're gone now. You can stop the act.' Still no response from the other boy.

'Come on now, rise and shine you sleepyhead.' Shiro snuggled up onto him instead.

'Five more minutes...' Shiro said with his eyes still closed. Hao gently stroke his hair.

'You're so childish Shiro-chan...'

'Well, I can't help it. It's not everyday I get to play with Onii-chan.' Shiro pouted as he opened his left eye. Hao's smile grew wider and he ruffled his hair.

'Onii-chan, you're-'

'messing with your hair?' Hao cut him off before he could finish. Shiro started to laugh and so did Hao. Shiro stood up and turned to him.

'You're it!' he yelled suddenly and started running away from his brother. Hao blinked for a moment and he smirked. A game of tag was merely child's play to him.

While Shiro was running away from the fire shaman, Zenki (one of Hao's shikigami) grabbed his leg and lifted him off from the ground causing the boy to be hanging upside down in midair.

'Zenki! Put me down-Wahhh!' the shikigami lifted him even higher. He turned to his brother who was approaching him.

'That's cheating!' Shiro pouted. Hao couldn't help but smile as he stared at his childish younger brother. He gestured for his shikigami to put him down. After that, he stretched out his hand towards his brother who took it almost immediately. The younger boy looked up and gave a smile that no one other than Hao had seen before. Hao did the same thing. He gave out a smile that not even Opacho had ever seen before. Then, the two started to laughing.

* * *

Hao was leaning against a tree as stared up at blue sky thoughtfully. Shiro meanwhile was taking a short nap as he had his head rested on the fire shaman's chest.

'Shiro?'

'Hmmm?' the boy stirred.

'Can you promise me this one thing?' Shiro kept quiet before finally replying.

'What is it?'

'From now on, NEVER reveal ANY of your ability in front of ANYONE.' The boy's eyes snapped open and he rose up.

'Huh? Why can't I reveal my ability? Did I do something wrong? Was it because you don't like it?' Hao sighed.

'No...It's just that...if they knew you were a very capable person, I'm afraid they might try to take you away from me...or worst, they might try to take advantage of your capability.' Shiro kept quiet for a moment.

'That anyone. Does that include...Shinagawa-sensei, Nakamura-sensei, and our...friends?'

'Yes.' Hao replied firmly. Shiro lowered his head.

'But...I've already showed it to them. Nakamura-sensei and Shinagawa-sensei...' Hao stared at his brother with a serious expression.

'What did they know?'

'They knew I'm telepathic and that I have...healing skills.'

Silence...

'That's all?'

'What do you mean by 'that's all?' it's still something!' Hao smiled.

'Well then, from now on...stop telling anyone about what you are capable of. Don't let them know that you're capable of anything and try to act like you're weak and you don't know much about anything...Most important of all, NEVER let them know that you're COMPASSIONATE. Can you promise me that?'

'Yes...but what if something terrible happens and I was forced to use my ability?'

'If that happens, just try to use it as a last resort. I repeat, LAST RESORT. Understand?' the boy nodded in response and Hao smiled. He abruptly hug his younger brother causing the boy to stiffen at the sudden physical contact. However, he relaxed quickly and made himself comfortable before resting his head on the fire shaman's chest once again and continued with his nap.

'I'm sorry for making you do this but-'

'I understand Aniki. You don't have to say it. After all, you've always had your reasons.' Hao smiled. Yes, he had his reasons for asking him to hide his ability. First, he doesn't want his enemies to think of Shiro as a threat as he will always stay by his side. Secondly, he didn't want the Asakura's or the Yoshifumi's or any other people to have him as their new allies. Thirdly, he doesn't want any other people to know his brother better than him. Finally, he wanted to have his brother for himself. He knew the last two reasons was kind of selfish but he didn't care. Right now, Shiro was the one and only person in this earth who would ever think of him as a family other than her mother who deceased 1000 years ago.

Suddenly, the sound of horses galloping towards him caught his attention and snapped him out of his thoughts.

'Shiro?'

'Hmmm?'

'I think they're back.'

'5 more minutes...' he murmured.

'No, you have to wake up now.' Shiro could tell from the tone of his voice he was not going to tolerate with him this time. He reluctantly sat up and stretched his hands.

'Good morning Aniki.' he said as he rubbed his left eye.

'OIIII!' Haruka, Karin and Yukino who was sitting on their respective horses waved at them and Shiro did the same. However, the smile on his face was immediately struck off when he saw Yoh and Anna who was barely visible behind Haruka. Although he was slightly surprised to see Yoh riding a horse by himself, he still wished that they hadn't come. He also saw Shinichi and the others who was even further behind and he groaned inwardly. Not that he disliked them but somehow, he felt that they have the habit of appearing at the wrong timing. The horses came to a halt and Yoh immediately got down and rushed towards his brother followed by the others. Suddenly, they all came to a halt. Hao and Shiro exchanged glances before turning to everyone group who were rooted on the spot as well. Shiro turned from Shinichi's group to the Asakura's back and forth. Why are they giving that kind of stare?

'W-Why are you all looking at Shiro and Fuyuki like they are some sort of alien or something?' Haruka asked snapping them out of their gaze.

'That's not what we meant Haruka-san, i-it's just that...it's actually the first time Shiro and Fuyuki actually looked so...normal.' everyone nodded. It was then that the two realized that they haven't changed back to their riding jackets. Shiro was wearing a T-shirt with orange and yellow stripes with a white jacket that has a hood on it and a pair of black jeans. Hao meanwhile was wearing a red T-shirt with a yellow jacket that has a hood on it as well and also a pair of blue jeans. Both of them had their hair tied in a ponytail position.

'Oh...I see. I'm not all that surprised though.' everyone turned to him with an incredulous expression.

'I've already seen it once and I still remember how dumbfounded I turned out that day...' everyone turned back to the two boys. They looked so human...especially Hao!

'I didn't expect for the both of you to have such a good taste in fashion though.' Anna said smugly.

'S-Shut up.' Hao and Shiro said at the same time as they glared at her.

'I think it fits them nicely though.' Yoh smiled. Shiro blushed even though he tried his best not to and Hao who knew what was going on couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh which made him blush even harder.

'W-What's so funny?' Shiro pouted and gave his brother a sulky look.

'Gomen Shiro, b-but I simply can't help it.' and he burst out laughing.

* * *

'Aww come on Shiro, I already said I'm sorry!' Hao yelled desperately and everyone refrained themselves from laughing out loud as Shiro had been ignoring Hao after the incident. Shiro gestured his horse to move faster.

'Shiro-nii?' Yoh who was riding his horse beside him called out to him.

'What?' he turned to him with a sulky look.

'Are you really that mad at Hao? I mean he was just laughing you know...' a vein popped on his head and Yoh stared at him nervously. He turned back to the front.

'Well, who wouldn't get mad when his brother embarrassed him in front of his friends?' it slipped out of his mouth before he realized it and Yoh blinked.

'You actually feel...embarrassed?' Shiro didn't say anything.

'Ahhh...so you do have feelings...' Shiro gave him a death glare but Yoh was able to see a slight sadness that was carefully hidden in his eyes. He sighed and turned back to the front. Everyone (other than Hao) who had been listening to the conversation smiled with each other. Shinichi took a deep breath.

'THE WINNER GETS TO GO OUT!' and all the horses speed off leaving Hao, Yoh, and Shiro in a state of confusion.

'Yoh, what are you doing? Go and catch up with them!' Anna who was sitting behind Yoh knew what was going on.

'Shirotsuki!'

'Hoshi!'

The two horses lifted their front feet of the ground and speed off. Apparently, Hao and Shiro had also managed to understand what was happening around them.

'Umm...What's going on?' Yoh scratched his head and Anna clenched her fists. He still doesn't know what's going on and he dare to ask her that question? Why is he so slow!

'Yoh, if you can't catch up with them we're going training after this!'

'Wha-'

'GO AFTER THEM!' Anna screamed.

'J-Jaren!' the horse quickly speed off.

* * *

Hao was currently ahead of everyone followed by Shinichi, Shiro, Haruka, Yukino, Karin, Iria, Kaoru and Sara. Suddenly, Yoh and Anna appeared from behind and in a mere few seconds he was already ahead of Haruka.

'Yoh! Faster! You need to catch up with your brother!' Her scream was loud enough for everyone to hear which made even Shiro to feel somewhat pitiful for the boy.

'Help me Jaren!' Yoh said as stream of tears ran down his cheeks. Out of pity for his younger brother, Shiro secretly gestured Hoshi to slow down so that he would at least be ahead of him. Shinichi saw it and immediately as gestured for his horse to slow down so that Yoh could be ahead of him as well for he knew is impossible for Yoh to be ahead of Hao. Other than Hokaze and Hoshi, no other horses had been able to win against Shirotsuki. Not to mention Hao wouldn't tolerate to him for such a simple reason. Hao who was ahead suddenly slow down so that he was just beside Yoh.

'So you managed to catch up huh?'

'Of course he did! He's my fiancee!' Anna retorted on his behalf.

'A-Anna...' Yoh sweatdropped.

'Heh, is that so? Well let me tell you then...the main reason you're the second most ahead is because Shiro and Shinichi took pity on Yoh for you're yelling so loud at him. If not, you wouldn't have been able to even surpass them.'

'WE SO DID NOT!' Shiro and Shinichi yelled at the same time.

'See? You're only saying it to discourage us!'

'If you're so confident then why don't we have a challenge then? The finishing line will be at the huge rock over there.' Shiro and Shinichi's eyes widened.

'Fine, we accept your challenge! and if we win this race I want both you and Shiro to train Yoh!'

'Eh! What does that have to do with me!'

'Sure.' Hao shrugged and Shiro gawked at him. Anna smirked. **  
**

'However, if I win...you go out on a date with me.'

'WHAT!' the itako yelled so loudly everyone covered their ears with their hands.

'No!' Yoh retorted.

'It's a deal then.'

'Wait, I'm not finished-'

'See ya. Shirotsuki!' the horse galloped faster and went forward.

'HAOOOOO!' Yoh called out to his brother but was ignored.

_'However, if I win...you go out on a date with me.' _Hao's word echoed in his head.

**'No way! I haven't even went out on a first date with Anna yet!'****  
**

'Jaren!' the horse galloped faster and managed to catch up with Hao. Hao smirked.

'Shirotsuki!' the horse speed up and went a few inches ahead of Jaren.

'Jaren!' the horse managed to overtake Shirotsuki for the very first time which surprises Hao but he regained his composure almost immediately. He stared at the the huge rock that was only a few metres ahead.

'Shirotsuki!'

'Jaren!'

The two horses started overtaking each other as they went closer towards the finishing line.

...5 metres...4 metres...3 metres...2 metres...1 metres...1/2 metres...

and the race finally ended.

* * *

'Hmm...let's see...I'll have a slice of chocolate gateau and an expresso. So, what do you want Anna?' the itako gave him a withering glare.

'I'll take one slice of cheese cake and an iced lemon tea.' the itako told the waiter in a begrudging tone.

'I-I would like to have a slice of orange layered cake and a cup of orange juice.' Yoh continued and then all three of them stared at the last person who was still staring at the menu.

'Fruitcake and tea.' Shiro then closed the menu and passed it to the waiter. A few seconds later, the waiter came with a tray filled with beverages on his hand. He took a cup of tea from the tray and placed the cup of tea in front of Shiro followed by Hao's expresso, Yoh's orange juice and Anna's iced lemon tea. While the waiter went to take their cakes, Shiro took a sip from his cup of tea before placing it down. He sighed.

'I don't think I can fully enjoy my tea if the three of you continue staring at me like that.'

'Gomen Shiro-nii, somehow...I just can't help it.' Yoh avoided Anna's glare.

'Me neither. After all, you overtook the both of us at the last minute.' Hao sighed and Shiro immediately knew what he was referring to.

'I wouldn't have done that if you didn't involve me in that stupid deal. Plus, you still get to go out on your date with Anna-'

'-except the fact that Yoh and Shiro-chan will be here as well.' Hao rested his head on his palm. Shiro slammed his hand on the table and everyone jumped.

'DON'T address me with that word.'

'Fine. Anyway, back to the topic. How could you embarrass me, your beloved Aniki just like that? Not to mention that it's not like Yoh's going to win at that time anyway.' he said in a dramatic way and the boy sighed.

'STOP trying to make me feel guilty for it. It's NOT going to work today. Also, if Yoh's really not going to win then don't you think that I would have just sit back and enjoy the show?' Shiro replied just as dramatically and Hao kept quiet. However, deep inside, he felt really guilty because he had already broke his promise TODAY which is the exact same day the promise had been made. He had never broke any of his promises before and yet...he broke this one.

**'Even though the promise had just been made a few hours ago...'** he thought to himself. Shiro sighed and took another sip from his cup of tea. By that time, his slice of fruit cake had already been placed in front of him.

'Anyway, let's dig in. Itadakimasu.' he swiped a bite of the dessert from his plate.

'Itadakimasu!' the other three said in unison and ate their respective cakes all the while still staring at him.

At the two table furthest from them, Haruka, Yukino, and Karin with their guardian spirits (on the left furthest) while Ren, Horohoro, Ryu,Faust, Manta with their guardian spirits (on the right furthest) stared at the four as they covered themselves using the menu. As they were sitting on different tables, they had not noticed each other's presence.

'They're getting along well don't you think?' Karin whispered to Yukino and Haruka who nodded in response.

At the other table...

'Wow, they all seemed so...normal. If I didn't know them, I bet I would thought of them as siblings that was having some tea time at the cafe.'

'Don't fell for the illusion Manta. The person you're looking at now is Hao Asakura. Which is why we're here to make sure Yoh is alright-' Ren was interrupted by some strange munching sound. Everyone turn to the source of noise only to find Horohoro eating some chocolate cookies.

'Where did you get those?' Ryu asked the Ainu.

'I ordered from the waiter.' he said between munches. Ren smacked him on the head and the boy choked on the cookies.

'Idiot! We're not here to eat! We're here to make sure Yoh is safe!' he yelled at the boy forgetting his main purpose of being here.

'But I'm hungry! We've been following them ever since the race is over and yet nothing happens!'

'Well, let me ask you then, WHO is going to pay for THAT!'

'I'll pay for it.'

'Hmph. At least Hao is kind enough to-'

**'Wait...Hao? What the FISH!' **they all stared at the pyro shaman who stood there with his arms over his chest. He stared at the table where they were sitting and to his surprise, the plates are already empty.

'What are you guys doing here?' Yoh went and stood beside Hao.

'Yoh's right, why are you here?' Shiro asked even though he had already knew that they had been following them from the beginning as he remembered the promise between him and his brother.

**'I made a promise with Aniki. I made a promise with Aniki. I made a promise with Aniki...'** he kept on repeating it over and over again like an incantation in his mind worrying he'll break it for a second time today. Hao was a little surprised he could read the younger boy's mind today as he wasn't able to read his mind like the others for he had a barrier in his mind just like how Anna did. As he heard the boy repeating the so-called incantation he finally understood why he could read his mind today. His mind was totally distracted with the promise he made with him to the extent that he actually SHUT DOWN his reishi and UNDO the barrier of his mind. Which is also why he couldn't help but smile. Of course, he wasn't going to let anyone see it. He decided that he'll focus more on his little brother's thoughts for today as it was a rare opportunity to read Shiro's mind. He turned to the other side and Yukino, Haruka and Karin quickly hid themselves using the menu. Shiro was about to call out to them but he abruptly stops as he remembered his brother's promise again. He sighed.

**'They still choose to hide from us even though their presence was just as obvious as Yoh's friend? They should have at least put their guardian spirits in a mortuary tablet. Didn't they know that Aniki and Yoh and Anna can see them? Seriously, if hiding from someone was a subject in school I swear they will all fail miserably...not that I'm really good at hiding from Aniki either...Oh well, from now on I'll just pretend like I haven't seen them at all.' **Hao managed to read Shiro's mind.

'What are you guys doing here?' Shiro asked them and they lowered the menu revealing themselves. Guilt was written all over their faces.

**'Sigh...will the three of you stop showing me that guilty face...You're going to make me feel guilty...' **Hao read his mind again.

**'Woah...Shiro actually looked so...NEAT compared to Hao. If I compare how Shiro wears his clothes with Hao, Hao seemed kind of...messed up. Now that I think about it, Shiro really seemed like the alter ego of Hao.'** a thought entered Hao's mind and he turned to Manta who was staring at Shiro. He scowled. What did that annoying midget meant Shiro was like the alter ego of him? As if knowing someone was staring at him, Manta subconsciously turned to Hao and was utterly surprised to see Hao glaring at him.

**'D-Did he read my thoughts?'** Manta thought nervously and he could feel himself sweating.

'Shiro.'

'Yes, is there something the matter?' Shiro turned to his older brother. Hao stared at his younger brother up and down.

**'Aniki seems kind of weird...I wonder if he's alright...'** Shiro stared warily at Hao not bothering at the fact that his brother had just been looking up and down on him. He was pretty sure Hao had his reasons.

'Aniki? You okay?' Shiro tilted his head to a side with a questioning look which made him look almost like Yoh when he was confused.

Hao stared at his brother with an irritated look. He hated to admit it but that stupid midget was right. Unlike Hao who didn't tie his hair at all, Shiro had his hair tied neatly in a ponytail and surely, he was wearing the exact same white buttoned up shirt with collar except the part that he had adjusted his collar neatly and his shirt was FULLY buttoned.

'Aniki, you okay?' Shiro stared at him with a calm expression even though Hao was giving him an irritated glare.

**'He just got even irritated while looking at me...was he having some sort of mood swings? or was he angry at me or something?...Mmm...I can't really tell...wait, could it be that..._gasp..._did I accidentally broke my promise again? Argh! What am I going to do? _Groan_...why hadn't I been more careful! Aniki's is going to be really disappointed at me...'** another one of Shiro's thought entered Hao's mind and he couldn't help but smile. This tells him that his brother truly cared for him and that he was trying his best not to break their promise.

**'Okay, this is definitely weird. Just now he was giving me that irritated stare and now he's suddenly smiling? Gosh...his mood swings is even worst than a pregnant womans.'** Shiro tried to maintain a calm and composed expression albeit he was getting really worried about his brother. Hao was slightly impressed that he could properly maintain his calm and composed face as he thought the younger boy was going to fail miserably. After all, he was still a small child at heart. Guess age doesn't matter at all when it comes to this aspect...

'Hello! Anyone in there!' Haruka waved his hand and snapped his fingers a few times in Hao's face successfully pulling him out of his thoughts.

'Yeah?'

'Honestly Fuyuki, why are you staring at Yuu like that?' This time, Shiro's face turned red. He tried to brush it off but he was failing miserably. Hao's smile widened at that. In the end, Shiro really is a small child at heart. Guess he should lend his younger brother a hand this time...

'It's nothing...I just don't like the way you tie your hair Shiro.'

'Huh? But Aniki, I tie my hair almost everyday...'

**'and you've never said anything about it...'** he continued mentally. Unknown to him, Hao had heard it.

'I know that. That's why I don't like it.'

'Eh?'

'You always tie up your hair. It's starting to look really...boring.' he finished lamely.

'Now that you mention it Fuyuki, it really does seem boring.' Haruka stared at Shiro who sweatdropped.

'I-Is that so?'

'Yeap...' was Haruka's reply.

'Why don't you untie it for today?'

'W-Well...' Shiro struggled to find for a reason. Honestly, he had never leave his hair untied especially when he was in the public because Shinagawa-sensei used to remind him to tie his hair neatly no matter where he was.

'Sigh...' Haruka who was impatient pulled off the rubber band on his head without his permission causing his long and silky hair to became untied from its neat ponytail. While doing so, he could actually feel the softness his hair as he run his hands through them.

'Hey! Give it back!' Shiro tried to pull up his hair with one of his hand and at the same time he tried to take back his rubber band from Haruka with the other free hand but the latter raised up his hand so that it was out of his reach.

'Come on Yuu. You looked just fine. You don't need this rubber band.' he evaded from the boy. This was getting fun.

'Oh look Haruka! Your mom is here!' Haruka and Karin quickly turned and Shiro managed to snatch away the rubber band from his hand. To his demise however, the rubber band had already been snapped. He glared at Haruka.

'Opps...' was the only reply as he gave a sheepish grin. Shiro sighed and he went to take his knapsack which it at the back of his seat. He heaved another sigh. Finally, he took out a flimsy, long and thin strip of blue fabric and used it to tie his hair. Haruka gawked at him.

'What?'

'Y-You're not going to walk around wearing THAT are you?' he pointed at the strip of blue fabric.

'Well, it's inevitable as you SNAPPED my rubber band.'

**'Not to mention on purpose...'** Shiro's thought entered Hao's mind.

'Can you take it off please? You're already looking like a girl with that hair and now you're going to tie it with that kind of THING? Do you want to be a girl or something?'

Shiro smacked the boy on the head.

'I am NOT and NEVER going to be a GIRL! Got it?' he said and walked away as the boy remained half-conscious on the floor.

'I guess we'll get going first.' Hao carried up the boy and was about to walk away when he suddenly turned to them.

'You guys coming?'

'Yeah...' Yukino and Karin walked towards him and they all walked away.

'Well, let's go together then.' Yoh smiled at his friends and they all left the cafe.

* * *

'Guys, wait!' everyone came to a halt. By that time, Haruka had already regained consciousness and Shiro's anger had already faded.

'What's wrong Yoh-kun?'

'Uhh...I...uhh...'

'Can you just go straight to the point?' Anna glared at Yoh.

'He wants to go to that convenience store over there to buy new CD but he's too afraid to ask you for some money. Not to mention he don't even dare to ask you to go there with him.' Hao answered on Yoh's behalf. Yoh gave Anna a toothy smile.

'Sigh...let's go guys.'

'Why should we listen to you?' Horohoro glared at Shiro.

'Well, you can stay here and wait if you want. For you information, I'm planning on going to that store because there is something I can do in there where I can't do at home.' Shiro said and walked across the street together with Hao, Yukino, Haruka, and Karin. Yoh gave a smile.

'I'll be going then Anna.' he ran across the street with Amidamaru hovering above him.

'Guys wait for me!'

They stared at the group in silence as they went in the convenience store that was just at the opposite side.

'Come on.' Anna's voice broke the silence between them.

'Eh? We're going in too?'

'Of course, you never know what might happen to Yoh if we didn't watch over him.'

'Oh yeah, that's right.' Horohoro scratched his head. He had almost forgotten his main purpose of being here.

'Let's go then.'

* * *

Yoh wandered over to the CD racks and stood there for a few minutes, his eyes wandering over the different CDs. Then he went to the other racks. Meanwhile, Yukino and Karin went to the girls clothing section and Haruka went to the men clothings section. Anna and the others split up and stood at certain places which is near Shiro and Hao's friend to make sure they weren't trying to do anything. At the same time, they stared at Yoh, Shiro, and Hao who was very nearby each other as Hao and Shiro was standing at the CD rack that was just behind Yoh. Hao stood there waiting while Shiro looked at the various CDs. Suddenly, one CD caught his attention and he reached out for the CD with his right hand. Hao was slightly surprised that things like these could actually attract Shiro's attention. He went nearer and take a look at the front cover. It has a picture of a beautiful woman with long hair and purple eyes.

'Hoshino...Utau?'

'Oh...she's the new idol Aniki. Sara and Kaoru was sort of a big fan of her.' Hao raised his eyebrows.

'You like her songs too don't you?' Shiro nodded.

'Yeah...I think the lyrics of her songs are very beautiful. Though I've only listened it once.'

'So your main purpose of coming here is-'

'To see if I can listen to her songs again.' although Shiro's expression was calm and composed like it always was, Hao could see that his eyes was lit up with a tinge of childish joy which made the fire shaman smile.

Shiro walked towards the small section bahind the CD racks where CD players are installed for people to use. To Shiro's surprise, someone had already been listening to the exact same song as the CD was visible from the transparent kid of the player. The CD cover meanwhile was placed on a small rack on the wall beside the player. He placed the CD he was holding just now at the small rack and took the headphones connected to the player and pressed the 'play' button.

_Kanashimi ni tsubusare sou demo sonna kao wa yamete_  
_Okazari no Cheap na Pride wa sutete shimaou_

Hao meanwhile sat at the chair nearby as he waited for Shiro to listen to the music. Although he wasn't very fond of things like these, it shouldn't do any harm letting his brother to listen to the music he likes right?

_Taiyou no moto de hitomi somukezu ni ikite ikou_  
_Sou da yo waraitai hashagitai sunao ni_  
_Kanjirareru mabushii Happiness_  
_Zettai akiramenai darenimo ubaenai yume ga aru_  
_Ima sugu tsutaetai tsukamitai aserazu shinkokyuu shite_  
_Taiyou ga niau yo tobikiri no egao misete_

_BIRU ga sasu shikakui kage ni nomaresou na toki mo_  
_Kowagarazu shikai no mukougawa habataite ikou_  
_Fukaku kizutsuki naite naite tsukarete mou nemurenai_  
_Kuyashikute aishitai aisaretai kodoku na_  
_Nagai yoru mo kate ni naru kara_  
_Dareka no koto ushiro yubi bakari sasu nante_  
_Kekkyoku jishin ga nai jibun ga nai tsumaranai nigeteru dake_  
_Kinishicha DAME da yo saikou no toki tsukamou_

_Glorious Sunshine!_

Shiro used one of his hand to keep the headphones in place as he held up the disc using his other hand.

He then turned it to the back of the disc cover. It was 2000 yen.

_Taiyou no moto de hitomi somukezu ni ikite ikou_  
_Soshitara megami mo higamu you na Kiss o_  
_Tokimeiteru mabayui Happiness_  
_Sono mune no oku yuruginaki hikari tsuranuita kimi koso_  
_Hontou no kagayaki no imi o mitsukeru hito_  
_Taiyou ga niau yo yorokobi no uta utaou_

**'Should I buy it?**** Sigh...but Aniki don't like things like these...****' **Shiro thought to himself not realising that his brother was STILL listening to his thoughts. Suddenly, the player automatically played the next song._  
_

_Natsukashii michi,_

_hitori tadotteku,_

_osanai ano hi,_

_te wo tsunai de,_

_nani mo shiranai,_

_mujaki na egao wa,_

_kokoro no sumi wo,_

_akaruku suru,_

_awai e no gu,_

_omoi de iro no,_

_Uh,_

_toki wo kasane egaiteru,_

_akai chiisana kutsu,_

_ookina senaka,_

_oikakete ita,_

_akane iro no sora ga,_

_futari no kage,_

_tsutsun de yuku,_

_Ame no toori ni,_

_nureteru TANPOPO,_

_shizuku ni awase,_

_utatte iru,_

_nakitaku naru,_

_yoru no fukasa mo,_

_Uh,_

_kimi wa shitte irun da ne,_

_yume wo,_

_kanaeru nara,_

_naicha ikenai,_

_sou omotte ita,_

_kakae kirenu omoi,_

_sotto kimi ni,_

_uchi aketa hi,_

_Kimi to issho ni iru to fushigi na kurai,_

_tokubetsu janai watashi de irareta,_

_shinjiru koto wo oshiete kureta hito,_

_kondo watashi ga kimi wo mamoru,_

_samishiku natta nara, itsudemo koko he,_

_kaette oide, kata wo narabe aruku,_

_futari no kage,_

_sora he todoke..._

Shiro pressed the 'stop' button before more songs started playing and had him spellbound to it like what happened with Sara and Kaoru. After all, his brother don't like this sort of things and even if he were to buy it, it's not like he had a CD player to play it anyway. He took off the headphones and put it back in its original place.

'Done already?'

'Yeah...' Hao stared at Yoh who was still looking at the CDs before turning to the CD player for a moment.

'Yoh's not done looking yet. You can still listen to it if you want.' the boy shook his head.

'If I kept on listening to the music I might get hooked and end up having a pair of headphones on my head like Yoh you know...' Hao could see he was slightly disappointed.

**'Not to mention you don't like these things...'** he read Shiro's thought. He thought for a moment. _  
_

'I'm bored. Any recommendations?' Shiro blinked.

'Eh?' Hao sighed.

'Like I said, I'm bored. Mind to tell me songs that can kill my boredom?' Shiro's face slowly lit up as his brothers words slowly sank in his mind.

'Well, to be honest I don't really know any songs that kills boredom.'

'Huh?'

'This is my second time listening to music. Ehehehehe...'

There were silence between them. Suddenly, the two smiled with each other. Hao pulled him towards the CD racks.

'Let's search for it then. Musics that'll kill our boredom.'

'Okay...' Shiro picked out a random CD which caught his attention and went towards the player. He flipped open the lid of the CD player and switched the CDs. Hao took the same CD and went to the CD player next to Shiro. He switched the CD and placed the headphone on his head like how Shiro did before pushing the 'play' button. They both listened to the song for a moment and they couldn't help but burst out laughing as the lyrics were kind of hilarious in their opinion. Yoh who was staring at a particular CD turned to them with a surprised look and so did the others. They stared at each other and shrugged before continuing with what they are doing except for Yoh who went towards them out of curiousity. He stared at the cover and went to look for the CD before playing the song using the player beside Hao even though he had a portable CD player with him at the moment. After a few moments he burst out laughing. No wonder even Hao laughed. Yukino, Karin, and Haruka became curious as to what was happening and they went towards the three. The three brothers saw them and they took off the headphones on their head before passing it to the other three. They pressed the 'repeat' button and listened to the song for a few moments before giving out the same reaction.

'That's a good one! Were you the one who picked that CD Fuyuki?'

'No. Shiro did. And it sure did kill my boredom...' They started laughing among each other.

'I think I wanna buy it.'

'I think it's best you don't. You might end up laughing even in your dreams.'

'Very funny Yuu!' Haruka went and took the CD and saw the CD that Shiro had first listened to.

'_Gasp_...It's Hoshino Utau's fifth and sixth album in one!' Haruka took the CD as well as stared at it totally fascinated.

'That's what would have happened to me if I listened further.' Shiro whispered in Hao's ears.

'I heard that Yuu! Wait a second...by the word **listened further** does that mean...you were listening to it before?'

'Yeah...'

'Ohhh...Interesting...'

'Hey, don't give me that look. You listen to that song too.'

'I know that. But isn't it interesting to see our bookworm Yuuji Yoshifumi listening to music sang by the LATEST idol!' Shiro purposely stepped on his foot.

'OWWW!' everyone turned to Haruka.

'Shut up!' Shiro walked out of the convenience store.

Yoh stared at Hao and smiled. However, Hao averted his gaze.

'You should go to your friends. They'll get worried if you stay here too long.' Hao said and walked out of the store to catch up with Shiro. Yukino and Karin gazed at Hao before turning to Yoh who was slightly confused.

'What did Hao meant by that?' Yukino gave a small smile.

'Turn around.' he turned and everyone who was looking at Yoh quickly turned away and pretended that they weren't looking at him.

'You know...you should try to change your friends mindset regarding Fuyuki-kun.' Yukino sighed.

'Who's Fuyuki?' the three fell over.

'He's your oldest brother!' Haruka exclaimed.

'Oh...well, we call him Hao.'

'Whatever.' Haruka crossed his arms over his chest.

'Anyway, it would be really nice if you could change their mind about Fuyuki or whom you called Hao because...he TRULY is a changed person.' Karin pleaded. Yoh smiled.

'I will...but it won't be easy that's for sure.'

'Thanks.' Karin gave him a smile and Yoh could have sworn he FELT Anna glaring at him.

'Umm...I know I'm not supposed to be asking you this but I've never really knew my brothers so on my behalf...please take care of Shiro-nii...and Hao-nii.'

'We will Yoh. They are after all...our friends.' the three smiled.

'Thanks.'

'Don't mention it Yoh.' Haruka ruffled his hair in a brotherly manner. Yoh then walked away from the three.

'Ah, I almost forgot. Yoh!' the boy stopped in his tracks and turned to Haruka.

'I'm not supposed to be saying this but...your brothers aren't getting along with you not because they don't like you. It's because they don't want to cause you trouble so...please do something about your friends thoughts on Fuyuki. Umm...include your family members IF it is possible.' Yoh stared at Haruka with a surprised look. The look was then slowly replaced by a smile as the information registered his mind.

'I understand. Thanks a lot Haruka-san.' he went back to looking at the CD racks.

* * *

Shiro placed his hands against the window and peered at a pair of earrings through the windows of a jewelry shop next to the convenience store. The pair does not look similar to each other as one of it was silver and crescent shaped while the other was gold and sun shaped. Hao walked silently towards him and stood behind him.

'You know...those earrings would look really nice on you.' Shiro said without turning to Hao.

'I don't wear earrings anymore Shiro.'

'I know...' they stared at the earrings quietly when an idea dawned upon Hao.

'If you want, we can ask for the workers of the jewelry shop to pierce your ears.'

'No thanks! I'm not very fond of having my ears pierced!'

'Aww...But somehow, I felt like I wanted to see you wearing earrings.' He smiled mischievously. Shiro's eyes widened and he walked a few steps away from his brother all the while covering his ears.

'You wearing it makes no difference. W-We looked alike after all right?'

'Nope, we are different individuals.' he walked a few steps closer.

'D-Don't you dare come near me...' he threatened as he walked a few steps backwards. Then, he quickly turned and attempted to run but Hao caught him by the collar.

'Let me go!'

'Don't worry. It won't hurt a bit.'

'ANIKI NOOOOOOO!' Shiro screamed as he forcefully dragged him into the jewelry shop.

* * *

'Huh?' Yoh looked up from the CD he was staring.

'What's the matter Yoh-dono?'

'I thought I heard someone screaming...oh well, guess it's just my imagination...' he continued staring at the CD.

* * *

******Note:**

**In case you guys didn't notice, this chapter has a small tinge of crossover as the song Shiro was listening to was actually my favourite song by Hoshino Utau/Nana Mizuki: Glorious Sunshine and Akaneiro no Sora from the anime 'Shugo Chara'. As for the hilarious song...it was actually Tamago Zenshi Shugo Bomber. I put it hilarious cause when I heard it for the first time, I was laughing. I know it sounded a little lame but oh well...**


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

* * *

**'Huh?' Yoh looked up from the CD he was staring.**

**'What's the matter Yoh-dono?'**

**'I thought I heard someone screaming...oh well, guess it's just my imagination...' he continued staring at the CD.**

'Yoh, are you done?' Anna asked the boy.

'Uhhh...'

'Hurry up!'

'Well the thing is...it wasn't here...'

'What wasn't here?'

'Bob's new album...' Yoh sighed.

Meanwhile, Ren and Horohoro was standing near the men's clothing section to keep an eye on Haruka. Haruka pretended that they weren't looking at him and continued looking around. Horohoro sighed.

'This is boring.' he gave out a yawn. Ren nudged him with his hand.

'Focus you idiot. We need to keep an eye on him in case he try to do something to Yoh.'

'Like what?' Haruka asked as he stood beside him.

'Like trying to kidnap him or kill him or...' Ren's voice trailed off and he slowly turned to Haruka.

'Boo!'

'Wahhhhhh!' Horohoro and Ren hugged each other and screamed causing them to lose balance and fell down onto the floor.

'Get off me you idiot!' Ren struggled to get up.

'I'm trying! Hey you! Get over here and help us!'

'What a nice couple...oh well, enjoy yourselves.'

'Hey wait! Help us first!' Haruka turned to them with a serious expression.

'Why should I help you? Aren't you afraid I might try to do something to you? Like kidnap you or kill you...'

'Well...'

'Let me make things clear for you two. Believe it or not, we have absolutely NO intention of doing things like that. Also, Fuyuki or whom you called Hao was my friend, so if you don't like him, you're telling me you don't like me and the rest of our group. So if Hao was your enemy, then so are we.' Haruka stood up and walked away from them and saw Yukino and Karin watching him. He gestured for them to come over telling them he was leaving already. Horohoro and Ren stared at him with disbelief as he walked out the store with the two girls forgetting about their current position. Hao actually HAVE friends?

'Ren, you guys al...right?' Manta stared at their weird positions. That was when they remembered that they were still in that weird position.

* * *

'Yuu! Fuyuki!' Yukino called out but they were nowhere to be seen.

'Hmm…where the hell are they?'

'I'm over here guys.' Hao walked out of the jewelry shop.

'Hey, Haruka. Guess what? You just missed something really big.'

'Okayyyy…So, what was it that I missed?' Hao turned and looked into the jewelry shop where Shiro was staring at the mirror. There were moments of silence until…

'OH MY FREAKING GOD! YUUJI YOU PIERCED YOUR EARS!' Haruka yelled so loudly everyone turned to him but he didn't bother.

'Shut up or I'll chop off your ears. Ouch…' Shiro fingered the new earrings on his ears.

'Don't do that.' His brother's hand caught his own, bringing it away from the earring.

'Sara is going to be thrilled to see this.' Yukino smiled.

'Seriously, I think Japan is going to rain for 100 days!' He walked towards Shiro and stared at his newly pierced ears where a silver, crescent shaped earring had been placed at the left ear and a gold, sun shaped earring on the right.

'What do you mean Japan is going to rain 100 days?'

'Remember that time when you told Sara you'll NEVER pierce your ears?'

'Yeah...Wait...what does that have to do with it?'

'Well, she says...'

'Japan is going to rain for 100 days if you ever pierce your ears...' Yukino finished Karin's sentence.

'God…I missed something so BIG. Fuyuki, you should have at least wait for me!'

'Stop joking around! I didn't do it out of my own will Haruka. Aniki dragged me in.' Hao turned away.

'Anyway, where's Yoh and the others?' Haruka frowned slightly.

'They are still inside that store.' Karin answered although her smile had somehow disappeared. Shiro and Hao stared at the three.

'Did something happened when we left?' Haruka stared at Hao who give him a look that says 'I won't take -nothing- for an answer'.

'Well, I sort of got in a very small argument...hehehe...' Hao's expression turned serious and Haruka immediately regret telling him that.

'What did you do this time?' Shiro crossed his arms over his chest and Haruka took a deep breath.

'Yuu, Fuyuki, I just want to say I'm sorry for being rude to Yoh's friend, but I just can't help myself! They way they looked at you both is really pissing me off! I mean...you are both Yoh's brother! You deserved to be given privacy you know! and yet, they were staring at the both of you like some sort of-' Shiro gestured for him to stop.

'Haruka...I know it's a very enraging sight cause my so-called grandparents did that exact same thing whenever Aniki's nearby. However, YOU...no, WE have to be calm and composed.'

'Shiro's right. If you get overwhelmed by your own emotions, you'll get into trouble.'

'and as you can see, our relationship with them was already NOT getting along well so if it were to worsen, we might end up facing them using Fyra and Sephira. I wouldn't want that.'

'Me neither.'

'Not to mention it'll cause Yoh some problems.' Shiro said and Hao merely nodded.

'and speaking of Yoh...I think they are looking for us.' Haruka pointed to the store entrance where Yoh was looking around the place in search of them.

'Come on, let's get going.' they walked towards the boy. Yoh turned and he deadpanned when he saw the earrings on Shiro's ear.

'Shiro-nii-'

'One more word and I'll chop off your ears.' Shiro threatened knowing what was coming.

'Aww...come on Shiro, don't be so mean. After all, Fuyuki had his ears pierced too.'

'My poor ears wasn't supposed to end up like this!'

'What's going on?' Yoh was now confused.

'You see...Fuyuki forced Yuu to get his ears pierced.' Yoh was silent for a moment.

'Haruka-san, don't judge me okay? Who's Yuu?' There were pure silence between them.

'Umm...me?' Shiro answered.

'Oh...I forgot...hehehehe...'

'Sigh...Yoh, are you okay? I thought I told you before my OTHER name.'

'Well...I tend to forgot cause I'm always calling you Shiro-nii...' everyone kept quiet.

'Shiro, for your brother's sake, you NEED to get a permanent name.' Haruka finally broke the silence.

'Sigh...The thing is...we couldn't come to an agreement remember?'

Suddenly, something fell onto Hao's cheek and he wiped it away using his hand.

'Water?' another droplet of water fell onto his hand followed by another. The next thing he knew it was already raining.

'Eh? A downpour?' Yukino stared at the sky incredulously.

'But the weather was fine a few moments ago!' Karin did the same.

'Why does it have to rain NOW out of all times!' Haruka exclaimed and the sky thundered loudly.

'Now's not the time to complain! Catch!' Shiro threw a portable umbrella in which Haruka catch it. He opened it hastily and once he did, he used it to shelter Yukino, Karin and himself. While Hao was busy opening the umbrella, Shiro digged into his knapsack to see if there's any extra umbrellas.

'Yoh! Watch out!' Anna's voice made the two stop with what they are doing and turn to Yoh. It took them a while to realize that he was actually standing AT the road. Yoh stared behind him where a car was driving towards him at full speed.

'YOH!' both Shiro and Hao dropped their stuff and caught the boy's arm before pulling him away from the road side and the car whizzed passed them splashing water onto the three siblings.

'Argh! I'm all wet!' was the only thing Yoh worried about...

'WATCH WHERE YOU'RE DRIVING YOU PSYCHO!' both Shiro and Hao yelled angrily at the same time and all of them stared at the two in shock including Yoh.

'Yoh, are you alright? Did the car managed to hit you anywhere?' Hao stared at him and Yoh could have sworn he saw a tinge of weariness in his eyes.

'Aniki, I remembered the car plate number! Let's report him and sue him! We'll be the witness! Luchist can do the procedures for us!'

'Nah, that's WAY too easy for him. Let's set his car on fire! We can use Spirit of Fire's help! No one will believe him if he ever report to the police. In fact, they'll send him to a psychiatric hospital!'

'Oh oh, that's a GREAT idea. That way he won't ever be able to harm anyone like how he did just now. Right Yoh?' The two turned to Yoh who merely stared at the two with a blank expression.

'Umm...Yoh?' Shiro tilted his head to a side.

Yoh stared at his two brothers. They were not faking it. They are really worried about him.

'Yooohhhhh...are you in there?.' Hao called out to him and waved his hand in front of his face. Unknown to him, he was so worried he had inadvertently shut down his mind reading ability just like Shiro did...

'Crap, he must have been traumatized by that dumb driver...helloooo!' Shiro snapped his fingers in front of his face. All of a sudden, tears welled up in his eyes and the younger boy began to burst in tears of happiness. However, hao and Shiro both took it the wrong way.

'Hora hora...everything is fine now.' Yoh noticed that Hao was feeling a little awkward as he gently stroke his back.

'Come on, let's get going. We're going to get soaked if we keep standing under the rain.' the boy nodded.

Shiro took the umbrella that Hao had previously thrown onto the floor before picking up his knapsack that was soaked wet thanks to that reckless driver and the three went back into the previous convenience store where all of their friends stood there waiting for them.

* * *

'Here.' Shiro passed a cup of hot drink to Yoh who was sitting on a chair in the convenience store.

Right now, the three were wearing new clothes bought in the store as the clothes they were wearing were soaked and if they were to continue wearing them, they would fall sick. While waiting for the rain to stop, everyone had remained in the convenience store.

'Thanks.' Yoh took a drink but had spat it out in split second. Fortunately, Hao and Shiro who was standing in front reacted quickly and evaded the droplets of drink.

'What's this! It's so bitter!' there was a moment of pure silence...

'It's coffee Yoh. Coffee IS bitter. Haven't you drank any coffee before?' the boy didn't reply.

'Sigh...I'll take that as a no.'

'Yoh...I can really see that you're STILL a child.' Hao took a sip of his cup of coffee.

'Heheheh...' Yoh scratched his head. He gazed at both of his older brother who were sipping their own cup of coffee. He smiled as the memories of what happened not too long ago came into his mind. The two turned to him questioningly as they saw him smiling at them.

'What?' they asked at the same time and his smile grew wider.

'Nothing...Just thinking about what happened a few moments ago.' silence enveloped the three.

'Y-You're taking things the wrong way Yoh. I'm only dong this because I...uhhh...I don't want Aniki to get scolded by your grandfather! That's right! That's why we saved you!'

'Same here. I'm not in the mood to be arguing with the old man.' Hao continued. Yoh blinked as Hao and Shiro turned away from him. Then, realisation dawned upon him and Yoh bit his lip to keep his laughter in. They're not honest at all. Really.

Meanwhile, Yoh's friend was staring at the three from different places like how the did when they first came in. However, this time they didn't feel so worried of Yoh after seeing the incident that had occurred outside the store a while ago. Horohoro stretched.

'Feeling tired already?'

'Yeah, kind of...Wait, what are YOU doing here?' Horohoro glared at Haruka.

'Sigh...Come on, you've already seen what happened a few moments ago and you're still like that? Seriously, what exactly do you think the two would do to him?'

'Well...we didn't really do this out of our own will. That Anna make us watch hi-' Ren clamped his mouth shut before he could say anything further.

'Will you just get lost before we got into trouble with that woman?' he hissed. Haruka blinked for a moment.

'Does that mean...you guys don't hate them anymore?'

'We can't forgive him for what he did in the past but...after seeing what happened just now, it was enough to convince us one thing. He had changed. Since he had just SAVED Yoh which was not something the old Hao would do.'

'Yeah...the old Hao would have most probably ignored him and smiled as the car crashed onto Yoh.' the Ainu boy continued and Haruka smiled at the two.

'See, we told you didn't we?' Karin interrupted from behind and the two jumped.

'W-Where the hell did the the both of you came from!'

'Calm down...it's a normal occurrence when you're with us. Anyway...' Haruka stretched out their hand earning confused expression from the two.

'Now that you don't hate Hao anymore, I guess it wouldn't do us any harm to become friends right?'

'Yeah...' Ren shook Haruka's hand.

'I'm Haruka Nishimura.'

'Tao Ren.'

'I'm Karin Nishimura.'

'I'm Yukino Yoshifumi.'

'Just call me Horohoro will do.'

'Anyway, you should get back to work now. I think she's looking at us already.' the two turned and saw Anna glaring at the two.

'Well, I guess we'll see you later then.'

The three walked away and Horohoro and Ren continued with what they are doing.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped and Yoh and the others are on their way home. Shiro abruptly turned to another direction as he sensed a familiar presence.

'What's wrong Shiro-nii?'

'Nothing. I just thought I saw someone familiar...A-Anyway, I think I forgot something so I'll catch up with you later.' Shiro didn't wait for a reply as he left immediately.

'What's with him?' Yoh turned to Hao who shrugged.

'YOOOHHHH-KKUUUNNN!' everyone turned and saw Akane running while carrying Manta with her.

'MANTA!' all of them chased after the girl.

She ran and turned at the corner between two buildings before jumping over the fence in front. Then, she turned to the ones that were chasing her from behind and smirked before she ran towards the main street and turned to the right.

'YOHHHH!' Manta screamed before he disappeared from sight.

'Stop moving you midget!' Akane hissed as he struggled to break free from her grip.

'What do you want from me?' Akane felt a small tinge of pity for him when he saw his frightened and teary face.

'Just stay still. I'll release you...when they're done with him.'

'What?' Manta couldn't understand what she meant by that.

* * *

Shiro bumped into a man in front of him.

'S-Sorry.' Shiro gave a bow and continue to walk past the crowd all the while following a tall man with short blond hair that was walking a few meters ahead of him. Just then, the man walked past the street and that was when he saw the man's face. His eyes widened with disbelieve.

**'Takumi nii-san!'** he tried to push through the crowd so that he can get closer to him but he was too small to do so. Once he got to the opposite side of the street he looked everywhere for him but he was already nowhere to be seen. He held up the two small bells that was hanging on his waist.

'Tak-nii...'

Suddenly, everyone had disappeared and he was alone in this deserted street that was void of humans and cars.

'Hello Yuu.' Shiro turned and saw Kotone with her bow aimed at him.

* * *

Akane stood on the rooftop of a building still carrying Manta as he waited for Yoh and the others to arrive. She stared at the town of Shibuya. That's right. They had actually went this far to retrieve their friends...

'It should be more than enough time for them to deal with him.' she said and Manta who was listening to her could not comprehend her words. Who did she meant by them? Who are they dealing with? What in the world is going on?

The door slam open snapping him out of his thoughts and Yoh and the others immediately surrounded Akane.

'Yoh!'

'Give Manta back!'

'Sure.' he threw the boy and Yoh caught him almost immediately.

'Later.' she threw a smoke bomb and by the time the smoke had cleared, she was nowhere to be seen.

'Whew...thank goodness everyone is alright.' Haruka sighed in relief.

'Wait, where's Hao and Anna?' Yoh looked around and that was when they realized the missing presences of the two person.

'Tsk!' Hao's back hit onto the wall staining it with blood.

'That's enough for now.' Fumiya and a man that was unknown to him stopped and stood in front of him with their weapons preparing to launch another attack at any time.

Hao grasped his bleeding waist as he staggered himself up. Hao glared. Not at his opponents, but at the ones that was standing BEHIND his two opponents.

'It's strange...where's your beloved daughter Keiko,**Yohmei**?' he uttered his name with sheer disgust.

'Heh, you still have the courage to talk like that even when you're in this position eh?' Yohmei smirked triumphantly as he stared at Hao's terrible condition. Even a dimwit could tell that he was going to collapse soon.

Hao hissed in pain. His body hurt and he was bleeding all over. If this keeps up, it would seriously be the end of him. If only he had a weapon or he could summon Spirit of Fire, things might have not turned out this way but at the same time it might still turned out this way as his opponents are very formidable.

'Anna...' Kino called out and Anna nodded. She walked towards him and threw a luggage with a passport in front of him.

'Hao, I am asking you for one last time. Either you give Shiro back to us and leave Japan forever, or DIE here once and for all.' Mikihisa crossed his arms over his chest.

* * *

Shiro searched everywhere. He didn't know how or when had he gotten into a forest but he had a very bad feeling about this. Out of a sudden, a vine entangled his legs and the next thing he knew he had been tied up. He could feel himself desperately gasping for air when the vines tightened around his neck.

'Painful isn't it?' Kotone stared at the boy that was restrained onto a tree.

'W-What...ddo...youu...wwant...ffrom...meee...' he choked out with a lot of difficulty. Kotone give it a thought before finally releasing the boy. Shiro coughed as he placed his hand on the tree trunk for support and after a few moments, his breathing had become much less ragged.

'Hmm...well, we didn't really want anything from you. It's more like we want something from Fuyuki.' Shiro froze at the mention of his brother's name. He turned to Kotone.

'What do you want from Aniki?' he asked anxiously. Kotone gave an innocent smile and walked towards him. He quickly walked a few steps backwards until he hit his back on the tree trunk. When she was close enough she bent down and looked into his brown ebony eyes. Shiro blushed a little but he regained his composure quickly.

'You have not answered my question Kotone.' he said coldly. Kotone smiled. She cupped the boy's chin and turned his face to the left surprising him.

'You know the answers...' she whispered in his ears and Shiro's eyes widened. She pulled back and walked away from him.

'I've finished what I came here to do. You should go and look for him before it is too late.' she said without facing him and then she was gone. Shiro remained rooted on the spot when he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to do at the moment. He immediately ran home as fast as his feet could carry him hoping his brother had returned home safely.

* * *

'We're home.' all of them said in unison as they went in Funbari Onsen.

'Welcome back Yoh.' Anna replied and all of them jumped.

'So, where did you go?' the itako asked.

'Seriously, where were you! I've been looking all over for you! Did something happened?' Yoh checked up on her worriedly.

'Yoh...' Yoh placed both of his hand on her shoulder and gave her a stern expression.

'You shouldn't just disappear like that! At least tell me where you are going! Y-You got me all worried you know...' Yoh blushed and Anna blinked in surprise.

'...Yoh, I-'

'Yoh, you're back.'

'Yeah...Oh, and by the way, Jii-chan have you seen Shiro-nii and Hao-nii?' Yohmei blanched at the mention of Hao's name. Yukino and Haruka eyed him suspiciously.

'I-I haven't even seen him since you went out together. W-What's wrong?'

'Nothing. It's just that I thought they should have come home by now-'

_SLAM!_

They all turned to see Shiro who looked like he had just came back from a marathon WHICH wasn't really far from the truth...

'Shiro-nii, are you-'

'Have you seen Aniki?' Anna's eyes widened and so did Yohmei. He couldn't have found out about it right? Or could he?

'Hao-nii is not home yet.' Shiro turned back and ran out of the place only to end up bashing his head with another person. The two fell down from the impact and Shiro rubbed his head.

'Owww...'

'You should really watch where you're going Shiro.' Shiro froze. Anna and Yohmei's eyes widened with shock.

'HAO!' they exclaimed.

'Yo.' he stood up and greeted the two.

'HAO!' Mikihisa who rushed out to see what was going on could NOT believe his eyes.

'Impossible...' Haruka and Yukino noticed that Kino and Yohmei's hand was slightly trembling as they hold their walking stick. Anna seemed a little pale while Mikihisa's nervousness can be visible just by looking at his eyes. That was when realisation dawned upon the two...

Something HAD happened. Shiro meanwhile was too worried about his brother to even notice anything.

'A-Aniki, are you alright? Did anything bad happened? Are you hurt? Why didn't you return with Yoh? Did you-' Hao placed his index finger near the younger boy's mouth.

'Calm down...I'm fine. Plus, how do you expect me to answer when you're asking me so many questions at once?' the boy kept quiet.

'Come on, let's go in first. We'll talk about things later.' he walked towards the entrance while Shiro remained rooted on the spot.

'What's wrong Shiro?' the younger boy stared at the floor for a moment. He knew his brother was hiding something from him. When he placed his index finger near his mouth, he could feel that it was unusually cold. It made him wonder, was his brother really fine?

'You will...tell me everything right?' Yohmei, Kino, Mikihisa froze at that.

To his surprise, his brother did something that he had never once done before. Normally, he would instantly give a nod or he would just tell him 'NO.' directly but today...For the very first time, he didn't gave an answer. At that moment, Shiro immediately knew that the only way for him to know everything is to figure it out by himself. He hated it when his brother refused to tell him things but from the looks of it it's best that he figure it out by himself or wait until his brother is ready to tell him everything.

'I see...' silence enveloped the place.

Meanwhile, Hao struggled with his words. He seriously didn't know what to do. He was NOT planning to tell him anything regarding what happened knowing how heartbroken the boy would've been if he were to knew the truth. At the same time, he didn't want to hide things from the younger boy as he had told him ALL of his secrets.

'It's okay Aniki. Some things are better left unsaid right?' Hao was instantly snapped out of his thoughts. Shiro gave a smile and ran towards his older brother before entwining his hands together with Hao's.

'Shiro...'

'Right now, those things doesn't matter. Most importantly, Aniki is fine. Until you're ready to tell me everything, I'll just wait. Okay?' Shiro smiled at his brother who blinked in surprise. Hao smiled.

'Come on, let's go in.' Shiro nodded. As they walked back into the inn, Hao glanced at his brother.

**'Thank you, Shiro...'** he smiled and then turned to glare at the four person who had nearly caused his death. He swore to himself. He WILL take his revenge on them.

* * *

Hao clutched his injured waist and hissed in pain as soon as Shiro had left the room and was out of hearing range. He sat on the floor with lots of difficulties as almost every part of his body was injured. He took in deep breaths in hope of easing the pain but it wasn't working. The shoji door of his room suddenly slid open.

'Aniki, the hot water's ready so you can go and take a...bath.' Shiro and Hao stared at each other in surprise. Shiro came in and quickly closed the shoji door. He knelt down on the floor and stare at Hao with a scrutinizing gaze.

'Aniki, are you REALLY alright?'

'I-I'm fine.'

'You aren't really okay are you? I mean...you look really pale.' he stared wearily at Hao. Hao forced a smile.

'I'm really fine Shiro. You're just thinking too much you worry-wart.'

'But-'

'Alright, I'm going to take a bath now.'

'I'll come with you-'

'NO!' Hao exclaimed and Shiro blinked in surprise.

'Uh...I mean...I-I wanted to take a bath alone today. Y-You don't mind right Shiro?'

'Ummm...No...'

'Well, I'll get going then.' Hao quickly took his clothes and left the room. As soon as he left, Shiro's smile faded.

'Aniki...' he stared at his arm and pulled up the long sleeve of his shirt. There were a lot of scars on his arm and in between those scars were long, red marks on his hand which was caused by the vines this afternoon. He sighed. He still haven't told Hao what had happened after he left...

* * *

Hao walked into the kitchen as he suddenly felt thirsty but as soon as he had arrived, he wished he hadn't come here.

In the kitchen, Yohmei, Kino, Keiko and Mikihisa who were sitting on the dining table having some tea and biscuits stopped with what they are doing and focused their attention on the fire shaman. As they stared at him, Hao could see the fear that was evident in the eyes of those who tried to murder him. Keiko meanwhile was confused as to what was going on although she could feel that the atmosphere in the room had suddenly tensed up. Hao smirked.

'What are you looking at?' the three immediately turned away confusing Keiko even more. Hao went to take an empty glass and then filled it with water. He stared at the glass of water for a moment before turning to the four of them. The three turned away once again and Keiko was got even more confused. Hao gulped down the water and wiped his mouth with his hand. He turned to them again and the same thing had happened. He placed the glass in the sink and went out of the room. Yohmei, Kino and Mikihisa sighed in relief. Unknown to the three, Haruka and Yukino had been watching the whole scene through the window as they stood in the garden. Of course, Hao had already seen them. Which is why he hadn't said anything when he was with those people who ATTEMPTED to murder him...

* * *

After taking his shower, Hao took out a small medical kit that had been hidden in between the clothes he had brought. He opened the medical kit and and started putting some ointment before bandaging on all the injured parts of his body. Then, he carefully wear the red T-shirt before proceeding to wear the red trousers he had brought. Once he was done, he hid the medical kit at the small corner as he knew he couldn't bring it out with him. Not when Shiro was waiting for him OUTSIDE. After that, he went outside and saw Shiro wearing the EXACT SAME shirt and trousers. The only difference is that Shiro had his hair in a ponytail while Hao did not. The two stared at each other for a few moments.

'Didn't you used to always wear WHITE and BLUE clothing?'

'Well, I felt like wearing red today...' Shiro scratched his head.

'I see. Somehow, it feels like I'm looking at myself...'

'Ah! I have an idea!' Shiro whispered something in his ears and he gave him a 'What?' look. Shiro pulled off the rubbed band keeping his hair in place before he could say anything further.

'Not in a million years Shiro. Even if I did approve of it, you know it won't work.' Shiro gave him a puppy look that says 'PLEASE...' and Hao find himself unable to resist those cute puppy eyes.

'Sigh...fine.'

* * *

Everyone had gathered in the kitchen preparing dinner until...

'Woah...' Yoh stared at his two older brothers. Everyone turned and immediately understood why Yoh was staring at the two like that.

'Ummm...Yo?' the two said in unison which was kind of creepy as they were already looking very alike now. Not to mention they are wearing the same clothes. Mikihisa, Yohmei and even Anna had found themselves unable to distinguish which one was Hao and which one was Shiro which will be VERY troublesome considering what they had done this morning. The two smiled at each other.

'Can you guess who is who?' they asked in unison.

'We don't have so much time to be playing around with the both of you so stop fooling around and help us prepare dinner Shiro!'

'I'm not Shiro. Ask him.'

'Shiro, what are you talking about? I am Hao.'

'What do you mean YOU'RE Hao, I'm Hao!'

'No, you're not!'

'Yes, I am!'

'No, you're not!'

'Yes, I am!'

'NO, YOU'RE NOT!'

'YES, I AM!'

'WILL YOU TWO JUST STOP IT!' Haruka yelled.

'HE STARTED IT!' the two said simultaneously and pointed at each other.

'Sigh...' Yukino walked towards Hao which was standing at the left.

'YOU, are Shiro and YOU...' Yukino pointed to the Hao at the right.

'are Hao. So stop fooling around and help us.' Mikihisa, Yohmei, and Anna sighed in relief as Yukino have just done a HUGE favor by identifying Hao. However...

'Yukino. Are you REALLY sure I am Shiro?' Yukino's eyes widened in surprise and so did Haruka and Karin. They were still able to identify who's who but the changed expression in which the boy potrayed right now had belonged to...Hao.

'Wait a second. You're Hao. That's means...' the three turned to the other boy at the right.

'Do I look like Shiro to you?' boy on the right crossed his arms over his chest. The three blinked in surprise. They never had troubles identifying Shiro and Hao most of the time. Of course, their atttires also helped them to see who's who but then...

Right now, they were just as confused as everyone else as to which one is Shiro and which one is Hao...

'and I thought at least you three would have been able to tell who's who...' Hao at the left shook his head.

'Especially because you've been friends with us for so long...' Hao at the right sighed and shook his head as well.

* * *

It's been three days since they have been unable to tell who's who. Even the Yoshifumi's had been confused by the two. Meanwhile, Yohmei, Anna, and Mikihisa had been having a hard time as they were still refusing to admit who's who. If they were to end up threatening the wrong person it'll definitely cause them a lot of trouble. Even more if they were to kill the wrong person...

Now was no different.

'Nii-chan, we are you going?' Yoh asked the two who were wearing their respective shoes. Somehow, he had been feeling suspicious as to why they had been wearing red attire ONLY this three days but at the same time, it could have been that Hao made Shiro wear red. After all, Shiro will always listen to him.

'Somewhere? Why do you ask?' the two said in unison.

'N-Nothing in particular...It's just that...Can I join you as well?' he gave a pleading look.

'NO.' Yoh's face fell.

'Sigh..We wanted to have some privacy today so...another time maybe?' Yoh beamed once again.

'Really?'

'It's a promise.' Yoh hugged his two brothers and they both stiffened at the sudden physical contact.

'I understand. Be careful...'

'We will Yoh...'

'Don't forget our promise alright?' both Hao chuckled and ruffled the younger boys head.

'We won't. Not in a million years.' they said in unison and Yoh pulled back.

'We'll be going then.'

With that being said, they left the inn. Of course, not without waving goodbye to Yoh.

'Wow, i-it's so beautiful!' Shiro stared at the vast field of purple flowers in awe.

'I found this place a while ago when I went out for a walk so I thought you would want to see it.'

'It's not 'I would want to see it' Onii-chan, it's 'I would LOVE to see it!''. Hao smiled at the younger boy.

'Come on Onii-chan! What are you waiting for?' he pulled his hand towards the path leading to the field of flowers.

They stopped in the middle of the garden of flowers and Shiro took a closer look at the flowers.

'Wahhhh...they're so much prettier when you look at them closely.'

'Shiro?'

'Yes?'

'Do you remember the day when I first told you that you have a family?'

'Of course, and you even told me how you were a shaman and you're 1000 years old.' Shiro blinked. Hao had NEVER talk to him about his past. The one and only time he talked about it was the time he told him about the existence of the Asakura family. That was the FIRST and also the LAST time he ever talked about it as far as he can remember.

'Why do you ask?' he turned to the fire shaman.

'Then I'm sure you remember at that time, I told you the only person who really cares about me other than you was-'

'-your mother in your first life. Why?'

'Well, I just think its about time I told you about the details.'

'Huh? What do you mean-' Hao hugged the boy and he stiffened at the sudden physical contact.

'O-Onii-chan?'

'I'm sorry Shiro. You trusted me so much to the extent you'll told me all of your secrets yet I have always hid everything from you. Even though you knew that I'm hiding things, you didn't mind. As your older brother, I've never really done anything for you other than causing you so much troubles.'

'You're not causing me any problems-'

'Let me finish this alright?'

'...'

'Anyway, I'm sorry for hiding so much from you Shiro. I know I could trust you and tell you things just like how you did but because of a few incidents in the past I find myself unable to do it even after so long...'

'It's okay. I understand Aniki. There are times when things that are better left unsaid.'

'NO!' Shiro jumped.

'You have already told me everything Shiro! But not even once have I told you anything! Seriously, how could you even say you're okay with it?'

'Aniki...'

'That's why...today I have decided to tell you something that no one ever knew other than myself! Even if I can't tell you everything...At least...At the least, you should know this one secret of mine...because you deserved to know it.' Shiro smiled.

'Aniki, you don't have to force yourself to tell me things now you know? We can wait until when you're ready.' Hao shook his head.

'No, if this goes on...I will never be able to tell you anything anymore. It's either now or never Shiro.' Shiro couldn't understand what he meant.

'My original name was Asaha Douji. It was named after my mother 1000 years ago who was named Asanoha. She was the only person who would ever care about me other than you Shiro.'

'Ehhh...I wonder how she looks like?' Hao smiled.

'She looks like Anna.'

'ANNA? That's not very funny Aniki...' Hao chuckled. He knew his brother wouldn't believe him.

'Anyway, when I was 5, my mother had been killed by some worthless humans because they thought she was a fox in disguise. Pathetic aren't they?' Hao scoffed and Shiro's eyes widened.

'Then the reason why you hate humans is-'

'That's right. Not only that, they had burnt down the whole house leaving me with nowhere to go. Not long after, I met a demon named Ohachiyo. We became friends but that friendship was short lived. I don't know why but...he always call me Mappa Douji.'

'Maybe it's because the word Mappa and Asaha has the same kanji?'

'I guess...Anyway, back to our story. Soon, someone found out that I was able to talk to ghost and thinking I was a demon like my mom, they sent my mom's killer to try and kill me. Ohachiyo lent me his powers and taught me how to use oversoul so that I could defend myself from them...But my emotions took over me. I-I wanted to take revenge on my mother's murderer so badly I-'

'That's enough. End of story.' Hao blinked.

'I've already know more than enough to be able to tell what happened after that Aniki. As much as I wanted to know more about it, I still think it's best to continue the story once you're ready to tell me about it.'

'Shiro...'

'Thank you Aniki. Although, it must have been hard for you to be telling me something like that.' Hao smiled and the next thing he knew everything had turn pitched black.

'ANIKI!' Shiro supported his brother who had abruptly fell onto him. He seemed so pale out of a sudden. Shiro carefully place his brother so that he was lying on the floor.

'Aniki, are you alright?' he blanched as soon as he saw blood flowing out of his brother's clothings.

'That can't be...A-Aniki, w-wake up. It's me, your Otouto, Shiro.' he try to shook him awake.

'Aniki...wake up...Aniki...' he shook him harder.

'Why won't you wake up Aniki...Wake up now Aniki! Aniki WAKE UP! ANIKI!' he screamed at him but there was no response. He quickly carried him behind his back and started to run towards the nearest hospital.

* * *

Shiro sat beside his brother's bed all the while holding his hands. Hinako who was checking up on Hao couldn't help but feel worried about the younger boy. Ever since he was allowed to visit Hao, he had been sitting there with that blank expression on his face. The door abruptly slammed open revealing the Asakura's and the Yoshifumi's.

'Shiro!' Mikihisa called out and rushed towards him.

'Shiro...you had us all worried sick! How could you hid something so big from us! What if Hinako-sensei hadn't call us!' Haruka yelled at him. Shiro turned to Hinako who gave him a look saying 'I'm sorry Shiro...I just couldn't help myself'.

'I'm fine.' he answered dully.

Mikihisa placed his hand on his shoulder.

'Everything will be fine Shiro. Why don't you go and rest while we take care of Hao?' Shiro turned to him and gave a small smile surprising everyone.

'Thanks for the offer but I would like to stay with Aniki for a while longer.' Shiro blinked when he saw Yohmei and Kino leaving.

'Jii-chan, Baa-chan, where are you going?' he asked so sweetly it was kind of scary.

'W-We're heading to the bathroom.'

'I see...come back soon alright?' he smiled innocently. Everyone who had been watching the scene was utterly confused as to what was going on. Shiro is actually being nice to his family for once! Tsuzuki placed his hand on Shiro's the other shoulder.

'Yuu, you should rest. You've had a long day.' Shiro shook his head.

'It's okay...I-I'm fine. Also...' he turned to Hao who was still unconscious.

'I want to be at Aniki's side when he wakes up.' Tsuzuki nodded in understanding.

'Well then...' Tsuzuki took a chair and sat beside Shiro.

'Let's wait for him together shall we?'

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Yoh opened the door and saw no one.

'Opacho...' Shiro said causing Yoh to look down and that was when he saw the boy.

'Shiro-sama!' he leapt towards him and jumped up onto his lap.

'Opacho, what are you doing here?'

'Luchist took Opacho here! Opacho and Luchist rushed here as soon as we knew Hao-sama was hurt!' her eyes became teary. Shiro smiled.

'There is nothing to be worried about Opacho. Aniki is strong. He definitely won't abandon us just like that. Plus, how would he have the heart to abandon you when you're so cute?' the girl giggled and he pinched her cheek playfully.

'Oh, by the way, where's Luchist? Didn't you say he came with you?' he searched for the man.

'Luchist said he's going to take care of the medical bill.'

'I see...' Just then, the door opened and Luchist came in.

'Ah, there you are Luchist.'

'Sorry for being late Shiro-sama, I was-'

'Taking care of the medical bill right? It's okay. I already heard it from Opacho. Thanks.'

'So, how is Hao-sama?' Shiro sighed.

'He's still unconscious.'

'What exactly happened Shiro-nii?'

'I don't know Yoh...I only found out about it a while ago...He didn't tell me anything...' Shiro looked down glumly and sighed.

'Rather...I am utterly useless to have not noticed that he was hurt. ' a depressed aura formed around him. Luchist and Yoh panicked a little.

'D-Don't be so upset Shiro-sama. Hao-sama wouldn't be happy if he knew you're like this.'

'That's right! So, cheer up a little Shiro-nii!' the aura became even stronger to their demise.

'The signs had been there...yet I didn't took any notice...I knew he had been acting very strange this few days and I could tell that his hands were colder than it used to be...but I shrugged it off...' Shiro lowered his head.

'I failed as a younger brother.'

'You don't need to be upset over something so trivial. After all, pulling a blank face had always been his specialty.' Shiro's head perked up in surprise.

'Nakamura-sensei! When did you-'

'He's right. What's most important now is for you to eat.'

'Eh? You too Shinagawa-sensei?'

'Here.' Iria walked towards Shiro and shoved a bento into his hands before passing him a pair of chopsticks.

'You haven't been eating since morning right?' Shiro opened the bento and as tempting as the contents are, he found himself lacking the appetite to eat them. Horohoro who saw the food however was drooling even though he had already took his second round of lunch before he came. Everyone stared at Shiro intently especially Haruka, Karin, Yukino, Sara, Kaoru, Shinichi and Iria hoping that he would at least take one bite. After all, it took them a lot of effort to make them.

'I-I'll eat it later okay.' all of their hopes shattered as he closed the bento.

'Even though they put in so much effort to made this JUST for you?' Shinagawa interupted him and he looked up only to see the crestfallen faces of Haruka, Karin, Yukino, Sara, Kaoru, Shinichi and Iria.

'Shiro, you do know that if you refuse to eat you won't be able to gain energy to accomplish anything...' He stared at Nakamura before looking at the bento he was holding. Somehow, he felt that both Shinagawa and Nakamura, like his older brother, always know how to get across him in their own ways. In fact, it was as if the three had seen through him. He slowly held out his hand in front of Iria who blinked.

'Aren't you...going to give them to me?' Iria's confused expression was slowly replaced by a smile as she passed him the chopsticks. The same thing happened to Haruka, Karin, Yukino, Sara, Kaoru, and Shinichi as Shiro reopened the bento. Horohoro started drooling again and Ren rolled his eyes. He nudged him and the Ainu boy quickly wiped his mouth. Shiro stared at the bento for a few moments not knowing which one to eat first when...

'Yuu! Eat the ebikko first!' Sara told him.

'Oh...okay...' but before he could take the ebikko...

'No! Eat the tamagoyaki first!' Kaoru interrupted.

'No! Yuu, eat the unagi!' Haruka shoved Kaoru away and pointed at the unagi.

'Eh?'

'NO! Eat the shrimp sushi!'

Without knowing...they all end up arguing among each other rather than telling Shiro to pick on what to eat first. However, all noise had ceased as soon as Shiro ate the pickled ginger FIRST.

'EHHHHHHHHHH!'

'See...we told you.' Shinagawa smiled at them.

'Huh? What do you mean?' Shiro gave them a questioning look.

'Well...before we came, we sort of guessed you'll skip your meals so we prepared the bento for you. While we're doing so...' Haruka smiled as the memory drift into his mind.

-Flashback-

'Whew...'

'Finally we're done!' Sara exclaimed excitedly.

Haruka, Karin, Yukino, Sara, Kaoru, Shinichi and Iria stared at the bento with happiness. Nakamura and Shinagawa came in just then.

'Wow...You guys sure did a great job on that. Though, I have one question for you.' all of them turned to him.

'Are you sure he's going to eat them?' Nakamura asked.

Silence...

-End of flashback-

'That's when we remembered you have that terrible 'ANTI FOOD' habit whenever Fuyuki got into something bad-'

'Whaaa-How did you kno-' Shiro covered his mouth with one hand. Everyone stared at him flabbergasted.

'Seriously, what are you thinking! You're 16 years old and you're still growing! How could you just skip your meals like that!' Haruka placed his hands on his hips.

'N-No…t-that's not it-' Shiro sighed in defeat.

'Anyway, for now let's put that aside and get back to the topic alright?' Karin said.

-Flashback-

'O-Of course Yuu-nii will eat them! I put in a lot of effort to make the ebikko!' Sara pointed at the ebikko.

'and I personally made him the tamagoyaki!' Kaoru pointed at the tamagoyaki.

'and I made the unagi!' Haruka pointed at the unagi.

'I made the shrimp sushi for him too!' Iria pointed at the sushi.

'You know…it made me wonder which one he'll eat first.' Nakamura said and the four glared at each other.

'Ebikko!'

'Tamagoyaki!'

'Unagi!'

'Shrimp sushi!'

'Good thing we're in charge of decorating the bento.' Yukino told Karin who giggled and Shinichi just shook his head.

'We heard that Yukino!' all four said at the same time. They all turned to Shinagawa who blinked.

'Shinagawa-sensei! You're Yuu's teacher right? You should know his sense of taste better than any of us! So…which one do you think he'll pick first?' all four stared at her eager to know the answer.

'You won't believe us even if we tell you.' Nakamura said causing everyone to turn. They gave him a look of disbelieve.

'Try us!' Shinagawa sighed and pointed at something they never thought she would ever point at.

'Pickled...ginger?'

-End of Flashback-

'We didn't really thought you would ACTUALLY ate those first...'

'Well...that's because it would be too unfair if he pick any one of the four.' Shiro gasped.

'Aniki!' Shiro placed the bento aside and helped his brother to sit upright. Once he did, Hao flicked him on his forehead.

'What was that for!' Shiro covered his forehead with his hands.

'How many times do I have to remind you not to skip your meals?' Shiro kept quiet for a moment.

'Sorry...'

'A growing boy like you should not be skipping your meals. Plus, exactly what can you accomplish if you don't eat your meals to gain the sufficient energy?'

'Well...I'm not in the mood to eat...' Shiro muttered. Hao's smile turned into a frown and he pinched his cheek using both of his hands.

'Oi...You don't actually think I would tolerate excuses like that do you?' he gave a warning look.

'But I'm not in the mood to EEEEAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!' Hao pinched his cheek hard.

'Hora, if you still refuse to eat anything then don't blame me for not being nice alright?' Hao's voice was stern but at the same time there was kindness in it. Shiro reluctantly took the bento when he suddenly remembered that just like him, his brother hadn't ate anything since morning. He turn and held out the bento and chopsticks in front of Hao who gave a questioning stare.

**['Hmph...you are no different from pot calling the kettle black.']** Shiro thought to his brother who was slightly taken aback by his words.

**[What are you talking about?']**

**['You haven't been eating since morning too right?']**Hao's eyes widened in realisation.

**'crap...I forgot about that...'** Hao thought to himself.

'Uhh...What are you doing?'

'Aniki, I'll eat something...but I want you to eat something together with me.'

'Eh?' Shiro glared at him.

**['If you don't want to eat with me, fine! but don't blame me for not being nice.']**

**['Are you threatening me?']**Hao glared dangerously at him.

**['Well, that depends on how you look at it.']**

'Here.' Shiro passed him the chopsticks and he took it in a begrudging way. He stared at the contents of the bento and was about to take the pickled ginger when Shiro caught his hand.

'Aniki, can't you pick something else?'

'Pot calling the kettle black.'

'S-Shut up Haruka!' Shiro blinked as Hao held out the ebikko in front of his face.

'Aniki, what are you-'

'I'll eat something together with you...that is, if you are able to finish all of this.' He pointed at the bento. Shiro was struck speechless. Hao gave a cunning smile knowing that his younger brother had lost to him again this time.

'T-That's not fair!'

'Looks like your plan had once again...backfired Shiro.' Haruka chuckled and Shiro glared dangerously at him.

'Come on Shiro-chan, if you don't finish this up your Nii-chan here is going to starve you know.' Hao told the boy who glowered in response.

'Come on, say ahhh.' he held out the ebikko in front of his face.

**['I'm not a kid you know...']**Shiro pouted mentally. Hao merely smiled at him.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

* * *

**'Shiro-chan, if you don't finish this up your Nii-chan here is going to starve you know.' Hao told the boy who glowered in response.**

**'Come on, say ahhh.' he held out the ebikko in front of his face.**

**['I'm not a kid you know...'] Shiro pouted mentally.**** Hao merely smiled at him.**

* * *

'Aniki! Be careful!' Hao stepped off the bed and stood a little shakily at first. Shiro went towards him and attempted to support him but Hao shoved his hand away.

'Sigh...Will you stop being so paranoid? You're starting to make me feel like I'm the little brother here!'

'Who cares? I'm just younger than you for a few minutes so that's nothing. We're still the same age.'

'Well, physically you are but mentally...I don't think so.'

'Hey!'

'What? I'm telling the truth!'

'Calm down will you? I know you're both very excited to leave the hospital...' Hinako sighed at the two. Yoh cleared his throat causing them to turn.

'Um...Are we ready to go?'

'Yeah, we're ready.'

'In fact, we're more than ready.' Hao said and Yoh smiled a him.

A few weeks had passed by and Hao was finally given the permission to leave the hospital. Apart from that, Ren and Horohoro have returned to their homeland to visit their family. Meanwhile, the Asakura's had not done anything bad to Hao so far...rather, they could not do anything to Hao as Shiro and his friends had been taking care of him all the time. However, what surprised them is the fact that up until today Hao had not told Shiro anything regarding what they had done while Shiro had started to open up a little bit to the Asakura's and that confused them to no end. Yoh and his friends was starting to get along with Hao, Shiro and their group of friends. As the three were walking out of the room, Haruka, Karin and Yukino had appeared.

'Wow, you guys are early.' Shiro said and Haruka glared at him.

'Yuu! You shouldn't have left us behind you know!'

'Geez! Can't you even wait for us a little longer?' Karin sighed.

'Well, if you'd known him well enough you should be able to tell that he'll come 30 minutes ahead of time.'

'You're not allowed to defend for him!' Haruka yelled at Hao's face.

'If I the great Asakura Hao have no right to defend him then you have no right to scold him.' Haruka glared at Hao who smiled innocently.

'Sigh...Aniki, you're not even out of the hospital yet and you're already like that.'

'You're one to talk Shiro-nii.' Shiro glared at Yoh.

'You can't really blame it on him though. He got that from Hao.'

'That's not a very nice thing to say in front of my two otoutos Yukino.'

'Ahh...how I envied the vigor of youth...' Everyone turned to the direction of the voice and saw Faust with his wife at his side.

'Faust, what are you doing here?'

'That Okami Anna ask them to take you home.' Hao answered on their behalf.

'Huh? Why should she ask them to-'

'so that you could continue with your shamanic training of course.' Shiro finished.

'EH!'

'Well, I guess we need to pack our things so we'll go together as well.'

'What do you mean Hao-nii?'

'We're returning to the shrine.'

'EH! Why?'

'Aniki still needs to rest and I don't think it'll be possible if we were to stay at your inn. Not when you-know-who is there.'

'But-'

'You don't have to worry Yoh. We'll still visit the inn.'

'Anyway, we should really get going. You wouldn't want Anna to double your training would you?' Yoh froze.

'ANNA!' he sprinted off as swift as lightning. Faust followed from behind. Once they had disappeared from sight, Shiro turned to Hao.

'Aniki, you shouldn't have said that you know.'

'If I don't say it he'll try to make us stay longer at the inn.'

'I guess you're right...'

'Anyway, we should get going as well. We wouldn't want our guest to wait too long do we?'

'Guest? What do you mean Aniki?'

'You'll understand once we reach the inn.'

'Hmmm...I wonder who it was...' Hao smiled.

'Don't worry too much about it. You'll find out very soon.'

* * *

'I'm home.' Yoh looked around the searching for anyone.

'Please, have some tea.' a voice caught his attention. Apparently, it came from the living room. Yoh opened the door and blinked in surprise when he saw some new guests. The girl took a small sip from her drink as everyone stared at the girl in silence.

'So, what brings you here X-Laws?' Anna's cold voice finally broke the silence.

'Do not worry, we are not here with the intention to fight.' Marco pushed up his glasses.

'Right...you don't expect us do believe you when you're all holding your guns are you?' Horohoro stared at them suspiciously.

'We understand what you meant but we're only bringing this just in case anything happens.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Actually, we're also here to meet-'

'Sorry for the intrusion.' two voices said in unison and Lyserg who had been sitting quietly instantly stood up. The door slid open and Lyserg could have sworn he saw TWO Hao's staring at him in surprise.

'Diethel? What are you doing here?' Shiro who Lyserg mistaken as another Hao stared at him questioningly.

'W-W-What on earth-'

'What on earth is going on? Why is there two Hao's!' Marco exclaimed beating Lyserg to the punch. Shiro rolled his eyes.

'There is no such thing as two similar individual Marco. Even the most identical twins can never be the same entity. Can't you tell something that simple using your common sense?' Shiro scoffed. Lyserg turned to Yoh with an utterly confused expression.

'Yoh, what is going on?'

'Ah, let me introduce him to you. This is my second Onii-chan, Shiro Asakura also known as Yuu. You already met him before actually. He went to Izumo as Hao during our birthdays.'

'Wait, if he's was never Hao then...' Lyserg turned to Hao with hatred.

'HAO!' Lyserg attempted to attack him but Shiro caught his hand.

'Diethel, as far as I can remember, your parents had been revived.'

'Yes, they have been revived by YOU...but they had been killed by HIM! Homing Pendulum!' the pendulum launched itself at Hao.

'Zero!' Zero appeared out of nowhere and using his long tail he cut off the string linked to the pendulum and the oversoul automatically dissipated.

'How did that dog got in without being noticed?'

'No time to talk Porf! Archangels! ATTACK!' all of them raised their guns.

'STOP!' everyone turned to Anna.

'This is not a fighting arena! If you want to fight, do it somewhere else!'

'Let's go.'

'What?' Hao gave him a slightly confused expression.

'Hao-nii, Shiro-nii, where are you going?'

'Somewhere. Don't worry, we'll come back later Yoh.'

'Hao, wait!'

'What do you want?' Shiro asked as he glared at Jeanne.

'How dare you speak to our maiden with such rudeness you insolent brat!' Marco aimed his gun at Shiro who rolled his eyes.

'Marco, vulgar words are the root of evil.'

'Forgive me maiden for being rude, but such a manner towards maiden is too much.'

'Your little angel here is nicknamed the IRON maiden Jeanne, not the GLASS maiden Jeanne. Don't tell me those nicknames are just for decoration purposes Marco.' Marco glared dangerously at Shiro who remained unperturbed. Suddenly, someone smacked his head from behind. He turned to glare at Hao.

'What was that for!'

'Shiro, what have I told you about not being rude?'

**'Crap...I forgot about that...'** Still, Shiro was not going to apologize to her. After all, Lyserg started it first by attacking his brother.

'Who in this world wouldn't get angry if someone attacked their siblings anyway?' he tried to defend himself.

'Yes, but by doing so, what benefit can you obtain? Also, how can you lost control of your emotions so easily?'

'Well...that's...' Hao sighed melodramatically.

'As I thought, my teachings were way too poor for you to understand.' Hao put on a wounded look and Shiro groaned mentally.

**'Not those ramblings again...' **and Hao began to flood him with ramblings about this and that.

'Ramblings...Ah, how sad...you should be able to control your emotion with little difficulties...ramblings...Just because the way I taught you things was so poor, your dreams to become an divine shaman will be crushed into nothingness...ramblings...so sad...Aniki is so disappointed with you Shiro.'

That was the last straw.

'I AM SORRY FOR BEING SO SHORT TEMPERED! I WILL WORK ON IT! THAT'S RIGHT! I DEFINITELY WILL!' Shiro snapped and everyone stared at the boy with comical expressions. He turned to Jeanne causing everyone to be slightly taken aback. He bowed at her.

'Sorry for being rude to you earlier! Now if you'll excuse me.' With that being said, he angrily walked out of the room.

'You know, if you kept on doing that he'll hate you one day Fuyuki.' everyone other than Hao jumped at Haruka's sudden appearance.

'Don't worry Haruka, Shiro's hatred never last very long.' Hao gave a cunning smile and Haruka sighed.

'You just enjoy making Yuu angry don't you?'

'Yes, it is one of my main source of happiness.'

'Man...Shiro-sama must have had a hard time having you as a brother.' Hao and Yoh blinked as everyone turned and saw a five year old boy who was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. He had dark, red eyes that matches that color of a raging fire and his red hair was short and spiky. Yoh recognized the boy.

'Fyra-chan? When did you get here?'

'Yo. Long time no see Asakura Yoh.'

'Fyra! Where are you?' another voice called out suddenly.

'I'm at the living room!' A few moments later, the door slid open revealing a five year old girl which more or less resembled the five year old boy. However, she had a very long and blue silky hair that goes down to her waist and her eyes had a darker blue color which mimicked the color of the deep blue sea.

'Fyra, did something happen just now? Shiro-sama seems angry today.'

'Don't worry Sephira. Shiro was just having some mood swings.' Hao answered.

'Sigh...Anyway, we'll come back later when you're done talking to them Hao. Let's go, Fyra.' the two went out of the room. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks causing Fyra to nearly bump into her.

'Haruka, Karin, Yukino, you too.' she said without turning and both Karin and Yukino suddenly jumped down from above startling everyone (except, Fyra, Hao, Haruka, and Sephira herself) in the room. Then, they all walked out of the room. Somehow, Lyserg felt that they looked really familiar.

'Sigh...I just don't get it. How could you still be able sense our presences even when you're in human form?' Haruka muttered to no one in particular. Once they all were gone, Hao turned to the X-Laws.

'So, what business do you have with me?'

* * *

Hao was surprised but at the same time he wasn't all that surprised about it. Yoh and the others who were present in the room however was giving Jeanne a look of utter surprise.

'You've got to be kidding me! The holy girl iron maiden Jeanne CAN'T exorcise a demon?' Yoh gave her a look of disbelief.

'Watch your mouth Asakura Yoh!'

'Marco.' the man became silent.

'Anyway, we would definitely return the favor in the future if the both of you would help us to exorcise the demon that was possessing her.'

'But before that we would like to know if you are willing to help us or not.'

'Yoh will help.'

'EH!'

'This will be a good opportunity for you to improve your shamanic skills.'

'Yes Anna...' stream of tears ran down his cheek.

'I see. Then, what about you Hao?'

Silence...

'Hao?' Yoh turned to Hao when he wasn't giving Jeanne an answer. He noticed that he had a slightly distant expression on his face and he immediately understood what was going on with his brother. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

'Aniki, did you call?' Shiro's voice was heard behind the door.

'Come in.' the door slid open and Shiro, Fyra and Sephira went in the room. Hao gestured for Shiro to sit beside him. Once he sat down at his side, Fyra rushed to the seat next to Shiro so that he could sit beside him. Unfortunately, Sephira have managed to beat him to the punch. Not wanting to sit with anyone other than Shiro, Fyra went and sit in the small gap between Hao and Shiro. Hao sighed and Shiro gave him an apologetic smile.

'Hao, why did you call him here?' Mikihisa turned to Hao.

'For a reason?' Shiro answered on Hao's behalf.

'Leave this room at once. This matter has nothing to do with you Shiro.'

'Sorry Okami Anna-san but I'm only here to see my brother. Therefore, whatever matter you're discussing at hand have absolutely nothing to do with me.'

'Sorry Shiro-chan but that whatever matter at hand they are discussing about WAS the main reason I called you here.' Shiro scowled at his brother who gave him an innocent smile in return. He handed him a letter.

'This was a letter sent to Jeanne by her friend's parents. It is stated in the letter that something strange has been happening with her daughter recently.' Shiro took the letter and when he was holding the letter closely he blinked.

'What's wrong Shiro-nii?'

'This scent...' Shiro turned to his older brother with a serious expression.

'Jeanne, that friend of yours...was she named...Isabella?' the X-Laws members blinked in surprise and Shiro sighed.

'Just as I thought...' he muttered to himself.

'Hao-No, Shiro-san...do you know her?'

'Not really. I only know her because we were in the same school once. She's a member of the student council and the eldest daughter of the principal of the school. Everybody knows her even if she don't.'

'Wait, you mean the you both actually study at St. Mary?' Shiro sighed.

'I don't repeat things twice Diethel.'

'You've got to be kidding me.'

'Is there something about this St. Mary school thing Lyserg?'

'Yoh, St. Mary school was a school solely for those born with a silver spoon in mouth. Not to mention it was one of the schools with the most outstanding academic and dicipline record in England so...I don't think your brother would be qualified for a school like that. No offense.'

'Well, in case you didn't realised it yet Diethel...Aniki, Haruka, Karin and Yukino goes to that school too.' silence enveloped the whole room.

'No wonder they looked so familiar...they are the members of the student council...Say, how'd you even get into that school?'

'Well...Tsuzuki-san and Sayuri-san were after all friends with the principal of the school so-'

'Wait, who's this Sayuri and Tsuzuki person?'

'That would be us.' the door slid open revealing the Sayuri, Tsus i. Lyserg's gasped.

'Y-You're Yoshifumi Shinichi, the best student of St. Mary...' Shinichi blinked in surprise.

'H-How did you know about that?'

'I didn't expect students of St. Mary school to be so popular Shin-nii.'

'Yuu, it is pretty normal for top students of St. Mary to be popular but it's not possible for it to become so popular to the extent people from other countries could recognize the students from the school WITHOUT the help of school uniforms.'

'He's from England.'

'Oh...that explains it.'

'I'm Lyserg Diethel. It was truly an honor to meet you.' He shook his hand.

'Diethel? Could it be that...your father was the famous Detective Liam Diethel?' Lyserg blinked.

'You knew my father?'

'Of course! I am an admirer of Sir Liam! Gosh! Yuu! How come you've never told me you know Liam Diethel's son!' Shiro sweatdropped. How did things end up like this?

'Shinichi!'

'Oh, sorry mom...'

'Anyway, if you don't mind we would like to lend Yuu and Fuyuki-'

'Who's Yuu and Fuyuki?'

'That would be Shiro-nii and Hao-nii, Lyserg-kun.'

'Huh? Why would you call him that?'

'That's a pretty long story...' Yoh scratched his head.

'Come on Yuu. There is one thing that needs to be taken care of at the moment.'

'If its about Isabella then I suggest that you discuss it here straight away.' Shinichi turned to Hao with a surprised look.

'How'd you know about that!'

'Apparently, they are also here for the same reason.' Hao gestured towards the X-Laws.

'I think you've heard of the X-Laws already so I don't think we'll need to introduce ourselves any further.' Marco pushed up his glasses.

'Please, take a seat.' Jeanne urged them and they sat down.

'Well then, I supposed you've received this as well?' Tsuzuki held up a letter and Jeanne nodded.

'It seems this case was even serious than we thought it was.'

'and the fact that even a divine shaman like iron maiden Jeanne could not handle that demon can only means it should not be underestimated.'

'So, what are your plans at the moment Yoshifumi-san?'

'Well, our first plan was to ask Yuu to help the newly hired Miko-san that works for Isabella's parents.' Shiro turned to Hao.

'You were thinking of the same thing weren't you Aniki?'

'Yup!' Hao grinned and Shiro sighed.

'Why is it that its always me?'

'Well, for one, you're much more easier to handle compared to your lookalike that was sitting beside Fyra over there.' the Asakura's and the X-laws jumped at Haruka, Yukino and Karin's sudden appearence.

'W-When did you three get here?' Yoh stuttered a little.

'A few minutes ago.' Yukino answered.

'Of course, the good things always comes with the bad things. That is to say, you tend to ran into things without thinking.' Shiro shot Hao a glare.

'Oh yeah? It seems you have conveniently forgotten that you were no better.' Hao could have sworn he heard a vein popped.

**['When you were in St. Mary, you also ram into things without a second thought. Not to mention when you got into trouble, you always find a way to avoid the situation all together, testing out lame excuses to run away and escape from punishment.']** Shiro thought to Hao who sweatdropped in response. Now that he thought about it, he DID ram into things without thinking...that is, until the moment he regained his memories though.

'You two seemed to get along really well with each other.' Jeanne smiled at Shiro and Hao.

**'I would have gotten along with him better if he didn't tease me or flood me with ramblings so much.'** Shiro grimaced at the memory.

'Anyway, what exactly happened to this Isabella girl?' Yoh asked.

'Her exam results have dropped a little this year so she became depressed and I think from there on the demon took possession of her. Probably.' Hao flicked Shiro on his forehead.

'Can't you have a little more confidence in what you are saying Shiro?' Hao sighed melodramatically.

'No, that's not what meant-'

'Fuyuki's right. Do you know how anxious people would have been if the one who was going to save them said PROBABLY?' Shinichi crossed his arms across his chest.

'Well, that's true...'

'Though it wouldn't be surprising for us to die suddenly as long as you're like that.' Haruka shook his head. Shiro clutched his fists.

'No, even if we wanted to die, we couldn't!' Karin added and they nodded.

'At this rate, the prospects of you becoming a divine shaman looked pretty grim.' Yukino sighed as well but before anyone of them could begin their excursive speech, Shiro slammed to table and stood up.

'Stop joking around! I apologize for being so weak as to use the word like 'probably'! Now if you'll excuse me!' With that begin said, he went out of the room. Fyra sighed.

'You know, he's going to go-' sounds of something crashing was heard from above and everyone looked up.

'Woah...someone has issues...' Lyserg stared at the mini chandelier that was already shaking from the impact.

'Umm...I know I'm not supposed to ask this but...Shiro-kun's room was directly above this room right?' Hao nodded and at Manta who sweatdropped.

Night came by quickly and everyone had stayed at the inn for the night. It was already 12 am and yet Shiro had not went to sleep and was wearing his usual training attire.

'Damn you Asakura Hao. Damn you Nishimura Haruka. Damn you all. Just you wait and see. I'll definitely prove you wrong.' Shiro growled to no one in particular as he tie up his hair. Fyra and Sephira could only stare at each other and sigh. Shiro then wore his glove and reached for his knapsack before taking his katana that was leaning on the wall of his room. He had already cleaned his room so everything was back to its normal position. He tiptoed into the hall and shut the door to his room quietly, taking great care not to disturb anyone who was asleep. Meanwhile, Fyra and Sephira had went out of the house by flying through the window. After that, he quietly went down the staircase and to the main entrance of the house. He wore his shoes and quietly went out of the house. Then, together with Fyra and Sephira, they walked towards the gate and Shiro climbed over it while Fyra and Sephira flew over it. Once they did, Zero appeared at Shiro's side.

'Hmm...let's see...which route should I take?'

'From what I heard, Isabella's currently residing at a mansion somewhere in the northside of Funbari because his father was looking for shamans from Japan.'

'Is that so? Well then, we'll go and take a look at the general situation at Isabella's mansion.' Fyra and Sephira gave Shiro a worried look.

'What's wrong?'

'Shiro-sama, will you be okay? You haven't been sleeping a lot today. You work for that snobbish woman and practice combat training with Hao and Haruka during the day. Now you're going to Isabella's mansion.'

'Fyra is right, wouldn't it be better for you to get a good night sleep?'

'I'll be fine Fyra, Sephira. I already took a nap once I made a mess out of my room. Besides, we're only going to take a look.' the two stared at each other and smiled.

'Come on! How long are we going to stand here?'

* * *

Shiro, Fyra, Sephira and even Zero stared at the stone wall of the mansion that was towering above them.

'Uhhmm...I know I'm not supposed to be asking something so trivial but...is this a mansion or a prison?'

'Seems more like prison to me. With such fences.'

'That's not the point Fyra. The question is...how are we supposed to see anything with a wall this high?'

'Well, you can both fly so the only one in trouble was Zero and I. With a wall of this height I think even the cats would have a difficult time trying to climb it.'

'We can't fly Shiro-sama. There are priest's and priestess's working for them. If they saw us they are going to freak out and think of us as some sort of monster.'

'You're in human form Fyra-chan. I don't think it should be happening with you being so cute.'

'Not when we're flying humans.' Shiro sweatdropped.

'I guess you're right...but then, how can we even check anything out from here?' Zero bit Shiro's sleeve urging him to turn to a certain direction. Shiro tilted his head and saw a few trees that are located nearby the fence.

'That's it! Good job Zero!' he bent down and gently stroked the dog's fur. It began licking his face and Shiro giggled in response.

'S-Stop it Z-Zero...t-t-they'll hear us...' the dog obliged.

'So, what's the plan?' Sephira asked and Shiro smiled at them.

* * *

'Shiro-sama, are you sure no one will be able to see us from here? I mean, those mikos are patrolling the mansion.' Fyra whispered.

'Well, we'll only be looking around the place from here so there shouldn't be problem since we remained hidden in this tree. Besides, we're going to leave soon. Though, the inside is too dark for me to tell where Isabella is.' Shiro said softly. Suddenly, a priest turned to the direction of the tree and Fyra stiffened.

'They must have sensed us-'

'Shhh...be quiet.' After a few moments of silence, the priest turned and walked away. Apparently, she have not sensed the presence of the four intruders. They all sighed in relief when the priest was nowhere to be seen. Just then, they felt a strong, malicious aura and they immediately knew that another intruder had arrived. A loud scream pierced through the silence of the night and the lights in the whole mansion abruptly turned on. That was when Shiro saw Isabella that was bedridden in the room at the opposing direction of the tree he was hiding in. A man that had fallen asleep while sitting on the chair beside her bed was being shook awake by one of the servants and once she said something, he woke up with a jolt and quickly went out of the room.

'Gosh...' Sephira covered her mouth with her hands. Isabella's condition was terrible. She was so pale and there were some sort of dark aura surrounding her.

'It seems things had gone even more complicated than we thought it would.'

'So, what are you going to do?'

'We'll go and take a look at how those miko-san handle the ayakashi.'

Meanwhile, the priest and priestess tried to exorcise a slimy looking monster with no regular shape. The monster stretched out a slimy hand and caught one of the priest before throwing him to the wall like he was some sort of junk. Everyone got frightened and began to walked a few steps backwards. All except for one priestess who continued reading an incantation. The monster stretched out his slimy hand and attempted to catch the priestess but she attacked the monster before it could even touch her.

'Woah...As expected, Utsuki-sama is as amazing as always.' one of the priest said as he seemed to have forgotten about the monster.

'Sigh, most of them are pretty much useless other than that woman.' Shiro commented as he watched the scene while hiding on behind the chimney stack on top of the roof.

'She's most probably the main leader of them all.'

'Still, she's pretty incompetent if her skills were to be compared with you Shiro-sama.'

'Fyra, don't judge a book by its cover. She might have been a woman but you never know...she might be as strong as Iron Maiden Jeanne.' As soon as he finished his sentence, the monster managed to attack the woman as she could not evade the attack on time.

'You were saying?' Sephira asked and Shiro sweatdropped at that.

'Utsuki-sama!' They turned and saw the monster sent her hitting the wall. Shiro saw blood flowing out of her waist and was about to run down to help when Fyra and Sephira stopped him. The two five year old were now in the form of adults.

'Shiro-sama, you know we can't go down there.'

'But she needs help!' he said but not loud enough for the ones down there to hear.

'If you go down there and use your powers Isabella will know the fact that you are a shaman. That would cause even more problems.' Shiro clutched his fist. He looked around and suddenly something dawned upon him.

'Got an idea!'

* * *

The other priest and priestess continue to attack the monster but it was fultile. The monster this time was too strong. The monster stretched out his hand and caught its target.

'Austere slash!' the monster's had been shrouded with a burst of light and the priest he had caught was being released. Everyone turned and saw a small and suspicious person with his face hidden behind his hood. He was holding a katana in a defensive position. The monster roared and attacked the suspicious person but he evaded its attacks with ease and launched another attack at the monster. The priestess whom they called Utsuki stared at him with disbelief. She staggered herself up and began reading an incantation.

'Exorcise!' the monster exploded and it's remains scattered everywhere and that includes everyone who was there especially Shiro who was in disguise as he was nearest to the monster.

'You over there! Who are you!'

'Time to run!' Shiro muttered to himself and sprinted off the place and the priest and priestess all chased after him as if he was a fugitive. Shiro ran towards the wall and ran up the stone wall before jumping over it. The priest and priestess stopped in their tracks and stared at the wall incredulous of what they had just seen.

* * *

Yoh gave out a yawn and stretched as he stood at the entrance of the inn. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and turned only to see Shiro carrying a sleeping Fyra and Sephira in his arms. He had a small smile on his face as he stared at the two sleeping figures.

'Shiro-nii!' Yoh called out to him and he looked up in surprise. Yoh ran towards him.

'Shiro-nii-'

**['Shhhh...you'll wake them up.'] **Yoh nodded.

**['Would you like me to help?']**

**['It's okay. I'll go and put them in bed then I'll come out and join you in your run. Mind to wait for a while?']** Shiro thought to Yoh who smiled and gave a nod.

* * *

It was already 12 in the afternoon when all the shamans arrived at the mansion.

'Seriously, I was truly surprised to see you and your family together with the X-Laws Tsuzuki. Never would I have thought that the two of you would met somewhere else other than this mansion.'

'I knew you would say that. I have to agree though...The world can be pretty small at times...'

'Though, I'm sorry to have cause you so much trouble for coming Tsuzuki.'

'It's fine. We're friends after all.'

'So, do you have any suggestions Tsuzuki?'

'First, we plan to have Yuu to teach your priest and priestess some martial arts to increase their defensive strength.'

'Then, during the night when the battle is taking place both Yuu and Fuyuki will be helping the priests and priestess exorcise the monsters.'

'I see...Wait, how are they supposed to defend the people when they can't even see the demons?'

'Actually, we can see it but the images were slightly blurry.' Hao answered.

'I see... alright then. I'll inform Utsuki about it so you wait at the living room after this, Yuu.'

'I understand.'

* * *

Everyone including Yoh gave Shiro and Hao a look of disbelief.

'THEY DON'T KNOW THAT YOU WERE BOTH SHAMANS?' Shiro and Hao nodded.

'Shiro-nii, Hao-nii, what's going on with you two? Why didn't you just tell them you're shamans and that you can exorcise demons and spirits?'

'That doesn't matter. Right now, you just have to cooperate and play along with us. We'll return the favor in the future.'

'Fine, but we want one good reason why we have to help you.' Hao and Shiro glanced at each other.

**['What do we do now Aniki? Should we tell them?']**

**['I don't mind cause I'm only doing this for your sake so, the decision is yours.']**

**['I can't tell them the truth! And you know I'm a poor liar!']**

**['You shouldn't be too poor of a liar as to let the cat out of the bag will you?']**

**['That's the point!']**

**['Oh...well good luck then.']** Shiro groaned mentally.

'So, why did you hide the fact that you're a shaman?' all of them stared at the two expectantly.

'Umm...you see...I-'

'Yuu!' all of them turned to Isabella's father. Standing beside her was a priestess which Shiro recognized was Utsuki.

'Would you come over here for a moment please?' the boy obliged.

'Is there anything you want Mr. Avery?'

'Utsuki, this is Yuu and Yuu, this is Utsuki. She's the leader of the priest and priestess.'

'Pleased to meet you Yuu-kun.'

'Look forward to working with you Utsuki.' they shook hands with each other.

'Utsuki will lead you to the priest and priestess first for now. Once you're done, she'll give you a tour around the mansion. Is that okay with you?' the boy nodded.

'Alright, I'll be giving the rest a tour around the house then. See you later Yuu.'

* * *

'Okay, that's all for the tour. If you still don't remember the directions just ask any servant around the house. They'll lead the way.' the long haired boy nodded.

'Thanks.' Shiro replied monotonously. He blinked when she began to stare at him intently.

'You don't speak much do you?' he just shook his head.

'WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE!' The two turned to the source of voice.

'Oh...Mrs. Avery, this is Yu-'

'I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE IMMEDIATELY YOU CURSED CHILD!'

'I'm sorry Mrs. Avery but I'm afraid I cannot do as you say.'

'UTSUKI! GET RID OF THIS BRAT IMMEDIATELY!'

'But Mrs. Avery-'

'NOW!'

'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?' the three turned and Shiro realized that everyone had gathered around them.

'HONEY! GET HIM OUT OF HERE! HE'S NOT JUST AN ORDINARY CHILD! HE MIX AROUND WITH GHOSTS AND DEMONS! HE'LL CAUSE MISFORTUNE TO OUR DAUGHTER!'

'Sorry to interrupt but I assure you that I can't see ghosts and that I am free of curse Mrs. Avery so I won't be bringing any misfortune to you or your family members.'

'Yuu is right. Just because you saw him walking around during the night it doesn't mean he hangs around with ghosts or something.'

'THAT'S NOT IT! I SAW HIM TALKING WITH THEM! HE MUST BE ONE OF THEIR ALLIES TRYING TO SPY ON US!'

'Kate would you please stop it? Everyone is looking at us.'

'I think it would be best for me to leave Mr. Avery.'

'Please do so.'

'WAIT! GET BACK HERE!'

'Kate please...' she tried to push her husband aside.

'JUST WAIT AND SEE YUUJI YOSHIFUMI! YOU MIGHT HAVE WON TODAY BUT DO REMEMBER THAT BOTH YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR OLDER BROTHER'S INFLUENCE WON'T LAST FOREVER!' she yelled loud and clear.

* * *

Yoh sighed in defeat as he leaned his back behind a tree at the garden of the mansion. Everything was so complicated.

'What's wrong Yoh-dono?'

'It's nothing Amidamaru. It's just that...things are always so complicated around my Onii-chans.' Amidamaru nodded in understanding.

'You don't have to worry though. Hao-dono and Shiro-dono are very strong.'

'Well, I guess you're right...'

Suddenly, the X-Laws appeared.

'Oh...Good evening Asakura Yoh.' Jeanne smiled at Yoh who waved at her.

'Yo. What brings you out of the house at this hour Jeanne?'

'Don't address Maiden-sama so casually you runt!' Jeanne sighed.

'Marco, calm down. You don't have to get angry over unnecessary things like this. Like Shiro said, I'm not a glass maiden. Trivial things like that won't bother me in any way.'

'You don't have to listen to that brat Maiden-sama. He's just a useless minion of Hao.'

'M-Marco...'

'Shut up Porf. I'm not done yet.'

'No. Marco, look above you.'

Everyone gazed onto the rooftop and was surprised to see Shiro who sat motionlessly with a flock of white birds around him. Some have perched itself on his shoulder and one very daring bird had stayed on top of his head as if it was it's nest. Yoh didn't know why but he felt that Shiro had already been sitting there even before he have arrived at the garden. He attempted to walk towards his brother when he abruptly stepped on a branch causing the white birds to flew away all together. Shiro closed his eyes and heave a sigh. He stood up and turned his back on them but before he could jump...

'Shiro-nii wait!' The words slipped out of Yoh's mouth before he knew it and Shiro turned to him with an unreadable expression. Then, he walk towards the edge of the roof and jumped down before landing gracefully in front of them.

'Is there anything you want Yoh?'

'Uhhh...Erm...'

'Aren't you a little bit too laid back at the moment Shiro-san?'

'Well, in case you forgot my job was only to exterminate monsters Diethel. Since they are no monsters appearing during the day, I can do whatever I want. '

'Uhhh...Weren't you also assigned to teach the priest and priestess some art of self-defense Shiro-nii?'

'I already taught them everything yesterday so the rest is up to them. Anyway, aren't you all just as laid back as I am?' Yoh sweatdropped as Lyserg stared at Shiro for long moments.

'What?'

'Nothing. It's just that...you sounded a lot more like Yoh than Hao so I was kind of surprised since-'

'I looked more like Hao?'

'Yeah...' Lyserg smiled.

'Well, that's exactly why people always say never judge a book by its cover.'

'S-Sorry about that.'

'It's fine. You don't have to apologize.'

'Though, I have to say I am pretty surprised that Hao would actually allow you to be doing absolutely nothing at all.'

'I'm his younger brother Cebin-san. Younger brother always get special privilege.' The man smile and patted Shiro on his head.

'Just make sure you don't take advantage of it.'

'As if I can! He's Asakura Hao! You know just as well as I do that Asakura Hao doesn't get taken advantage of so easily!' Cebin laughed at that.

'That's right. Not even if it is Shiro.'

'HAOOOO!' The X-Laws member exclaimed except for Jeanne. Yoh blinked in confusion while Shiro who was watching heave a sigh and rolled his eyes.

'Speak of the devil and it shall appear.'

'By the way Yoh, Anna's looking for you. My guess is that you have another training session waiting for you.'

'WHAT! ANNNNNNAAAAAA!' Yoh ran away as swift as lightning with Amidamaru following from behind.

'Woah...that was fast.'

'Anna can really pull his potential to great lengths.'

'I can do the same with you if I want.' Shiro frowned at Hao who gave a simple, sincere smile.

'You didn't come here just to say all that right?' Jeanne interrrupted causing everyone to turn to her.

'That is correct. My main purpose of coming here is-'

'to make me train as well correct?'

'You're pretty sharp.' Hao grinned and Shiro sighed.

'Well, see you guys around then.'

* * *

'Finally, Anna's hell training is over. I can now go and get some sleep.'

'Sigh...you're as lazy as always Yoh-kun...'

'Yoh! Manta!'

'Oh hey Lyserg!'

'What are you doing here?'

'Just walking around...what about you?'

'I'm going to get some sleep.' Lyserg smiled.

'You never change Yoh.' the said boy grinned sheepishly.

'AUSTERE SLASH!'

'RIGID WIND!'

Yoh, Manta and Lyserg turned just in time to see a bright light emitted from a room not too far from them. They went and took a peek into the room through the small gap on the door. Morphine had sat on top of Lyserg's shoulder as Amidamaru stared from above them. They stared at Shiro who was fighting against Haruka at center of the room, where a large sparring floor had been erected. Even so, it wasn't Shiro or Haruka's strength that really caught their attention. It was Shiro's arm that caught their attention. As he was wearing a short sleeved white shirt, both of his arm had been exposed and they could see the innumerable scars on it.

'DIRE STORM!' Haruka launched an attack and send Shiro flying out of the sparring floor and crashing onto a pile of bamboo swords.

'Shiro-nii!' Yoh barged in the room without a second thought and quickly helped his brother up. Shiro rubbed his forehead.

'Haruka, didn't I tell you already? NO violent winds?'

'Sorry about that Yuu. I can't help myself.'

'You know...rather than peeking through that gap why don't one of you just knock the door and come in?' Hao turned to Yoh.

'W-Well, you guys were kind of busy so we didn't want to disturb you...' Yoh grinned sheepishly. Lyserg, Amidamaru and Manta gazed at Shiro's arm out of the corner of their eyes as he sat on a chair at the corner of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Shiro caught them staring at him but he decided to say nothing about it.

'Why are you looking at Yuu like that?' Lyserg, Manta and Amidamaru jerked.

'They're just curious about what happened to my hands that's all. You don't have to get so agitated Haruka.'

'Y-You knew?'

'It was pretty obvious.' Karin answered on Shiro's behalf.

'I guess now you know why Shiro doesn't wear short sleeved clothing Yoh.' Shiro turned to Yoh with a slightly surprised expression.

'Yoh, you actually...noticed?' Yoh scratched his head.

'Yeah...I'm not sure if it's ok to ask you so I just kept quiet about it.' Shiro sighed. He turned away from the younger boy.

'I don't mind if its coming from you.' Yoh blinked.

'Oh...wait, what did you say again?' Shiro sighed again.

'Just forget it. Anyway, we're going out after this. Wanna come?'

'I can come too?' Hao and Shiro sighed at the same time.

'Didn't we promise you we'll take you with us the next time we go out?' they said in unison.

'Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!'

'So? Are you coming?'

'Of course!' Yoh beamed. Lyserg stared at them awkwardly. Shiro turned to the two.

'What about you? You coming?'

'Sure.' was Manta's reply. Shiro stared at Lyserg.

'What? Me?' Lyserg pointed to himself.

'As long as you don't kill a certain person that is.'

'Oh...' Lyserg sweatdropped.

'So, are you coming?' Lyserg thought for a moment.

'Sounds like a good idea.'

* * *

Lyserg, Manta and Amidamaru stared at Yoh, Shiro and Hao who was walking ahead of them feeling a little bit awkward. Yoh was now wearing a white T-shirt with a blue jacket that has a hood. His headphones was now placed around his neck instead of his head. Shiro on the other hand had his hair in a ponytail and was wearing a combination of both long and short sleeved T-shirt. The long sleeved T-shirt has a darker blue compared to the short sleeved T-shirt. Meanwhile, Hao had his hair held loosely and was wearing a blue T-shirt with a white knee-length coat that was left unbuttoned. The three of them were wearing the exact same blue trousers and sport shoes.

'Still feeling awkward?' Haruka said snapping them out of their thoughts. The three brothers stopped in their tracks and turned to them.

'What's so awkward?'

'Yeah, didn't we always wear normal clothes nowadays?'

'Yes, you did but not in a fashionable way. Normally, Yoh would either be wearing his training attire or his same old shirt and trousers.' Manta explained.

'Also, we're used to seeing you wearing that white and long sleeved button up work shirt and that pair of blue trousers.' Lyserg pointed to Shiro.

'As for Hao, I think I'm only STARTING to get used to seeing you wearing normal clothes.' Lyserg admitted.

'Actually, me too.' Shiro and Hao turned to Yoh who scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

'You don't have to worry too much...just stick with us long enough and you'll get used to it. Right Yuu?' silence...

'Yuu?' Haruka turned to Shiro as the younger boy stared in awe at the sky.

'What's wrong Shiro-nii?' Everyone looked up and that was when they saw the snowflakes that was slowly falling down the sky.

'Ah, I see...so, it's that time of the year already.'

'Huh? What do you mean Hao-nii?'

'It's Shiro's first time seeing the snow.'

'Wait, what do you mean its his first time seeing the snow? Weren't you all born on the same day and the same time?'

'Actually...I wasn't born on that day.'

'Huh? But Yoh said you were his second-'

'older brother? Well, it was true in a way but at the same time...it wasn't true.'

'WHAT?'

'I think its best for us to find somewhere to sit down and talk...It's a long story Diethel...'

* * *

Everyone sighed in relief as the story telling session finally came to an end.

'Gosh, I almost thought you were another brother of Yoh who was kept hidden from your-'

'family? No no no no no no no no no, they are NOT my family. Like I said, I don't acknowledge those who don't acknowledge my Aniki.'

'Oh yeah...right. Still, are you really okay with that? I mean...don't you want their...affection?' Shiro sighed heavily.

'Who in this world doesn't yearn for family love? Even An-' Shiro covered his mouth with one of his hand.

'An?' all of them gave him a questioning look while Hao gave him a look that says 'what are you thinking!'.

'Well...An...An...An...that's right! Anna! Even Anna yearns for family affection!' Hao mentally sighed in relief.

'I think you're right Shiro-nii. Everyone yearns for family affection. I'm sure even Anna herself would love to have family affection.'

'Are you sure? Anna doesn't seem like that kind of person you know...'

'Anna-san has feelings too Lyserg-kun.'

'Manta's right. If given a choice, I'm sure she would love to have a happy family like yours Lyserg.'

'Then why don't you make her one Yoh? You're after all his fiancee.' Shiro blurted out and Yoh's face went bright red. Manta, Haruka and Lyserg burst out laughing while Yukino and Karin giggled. Even Hao himself cracked a smile.

'Did I say something wrong?' Shiro gave them a confused look which only made them laugh harder and made Yoh's face even redder, if that's even possible.

'Oh my gosh, Yuu you're so clueless in this aspect!' Haruka said between laughter.

'Shiro, you must understand that they are only 16 years old. They need more time before they can actually 'make' one.' Hao explained and Shiro gave him a look of utter confusion.

'What are you talking about? I'm just saying Yoh should marry her quickly so that she could become a part of the Asakuras.' the laughing ceased almost immediately.

'Once a boy and a girl get married they'll both become a member of each others family right? So what I'm trying to say is that Yoh and Anna should get married quickly so that Anna can have a family too.' Shiro said before giving them a scrunitizing gaze.

'What are you guys thinking when I said that?' all of them went bright red except for Hao. Shiro try to focus and see if he can read any of their thoughts.

**['Don't even try. I don't want to risk you breaking that barrier now that you already have your ability sealed properly.'] **Hao thought to Shiro who frowned.

**['Aniki, what were you thinking when I said that?'] **Hao smiled.

**['I'll tell you when you grow older.']**

**['When?']**

**['God knows.']**

Shiro's gazed at Yoh. His face was still a little bit red although it was not as red as before.

**['Yoh?']**

**['What's wrong Shiro-nii?']**

**['Well, I was wondering...what were you thinking when I said that thing about family?']** Yoh's face went bright red again.

**['Uhhh...erm...']**

**['Yoh, don't say it.']**

**['ANIKIIIIII!'] ****  
**

**['Trust me Shiro, you're too young for this. You'll end up like what happened with Yoh if we say it.']**

**['But-']**

**['Come on Shiro, be a good Otouto and listen to your Onii-chan this time alright?']**

**['Sigh...I don't like being left in the dark.'] **Shiro pouted.**  
**

**['Well you can blame yourself for being so clueless in this aspect.]** Shiro's face fell as his mind turned silent. He turned to the window of the restaurant and saw a group of people gathering as they watched a teenage girl doing some strange moves.

'What in the world are they doing?' he muttered not expecting for an answer but he got one.

'They're dancing Yuu.' Shiro turned to Haruka.

'Dancing?'

'It's an action where people move rhythmically using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures. Usually they did it according to the rhythm of the music.' Hao continued.

'Oh...I see.' Shiro turned back to watch the teenage girl. Haruka smiled slyly as he turned to Shiro.

'You know...I'd give ANYTHING to see you dance Yuu.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Yoh turned to Haruka.

'Well, Yuu just don't do things like that nowadays.'

'Well, I'm just not suited for this type of thing Yukino.'

'Hey, you never know. You might actually turned out to be pretty good at it.'

'Whatever Diethel.'

'Come on! Just once, I'd like to see how you looks like when you're dancing Yuu.'

'Stare me down as hard as you want. I'm not doing it Haruka.' Shiro turned away from the window and took a sip from his cup of tea.

'Too bad. I'm sure you'll be pretty popular. Not everyone can claim to have met such arrogant and stubborn people like you.'

'GOSH, YOU SUCK! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO DANCE?' Haruka said and Yukino, Karin and Hao went laughing. Yoh and Lyserg couldn't understand what was going on while Shiro glared at Haruka.

'Yeah...I still remembered the day when all the St. Mary students went for that community service. Gosh...you were a hit when you became the waiter!'

'Really?'

'Of course Yoh! You wanna know how he did it?' Yoh nodded vigorously and Haruka made a blank face.

'What the hell can I get you?' Haruka said monotonously earning a comical expression from Yoh, Manta and Lyserg. Yukino then make a furious face as she pointed at the banner a meter ahead of her where a few dishes was displayed. On top of the banner the word 'SIGNATURE DISH!' was written in it with bold writing.

'Don't order that! It's horrible! Eat this, you idiot!' She pointed to some strange looking dish at the menu. Unknown to her, everyone had heard what she said and they quickly changed their orders.

'I don't need your money! Go home!' Karin pointed to the direction of the entrance. Lyserg, Manta, Amidamaru and Yoh turned to Shiro with an incredulous look.

'What?'

'Uhh...Is Shiro-nii really like that Hao-nii?' Hao smiled at Yoh.

'You'd be surprised.'

'Oh oh! and there's another part where one of our school teacher sort of fell in love with one of the organizers at the community service-'

'He'll fell in love with ANY woman as long as they're pretty Haruka.' Shiro cut him off.

'I'm not done yet. Anyway, because he wanted to impress that woman, he volunteered to become a waiter. As a reward, she gave him a set of handmade clothings and as you may already know, he began praising and praising till the verge he went overboard.'

'Yeap. He said he could feel her affection as he wore the clothes. You know what happened after that?' Hao asked and they shook their head.

'It was her father who made that set of clothings.' all of them burst out laughing. Well, except for Shiro.

'He didn't gave up though. He still continued wooing her until it was time to go and everyone was waiting for him and him ONLY. After half an hour of waiting, Shiro got so sick of waiting for him he went and tell the girl...'Just tell your father he could feel the love.' and dragged him onto the bus.'

'Rather than wasting so much time blabbering why don't he just go straight to the point? Also, he should consider himself lucky for if he was my age I would have punched him straight in his face.'

'I would have done it though...if I'm not a part of the student council.'

'Wait, YOU are a member of the student council?'

'Actually, all of the St. Mary student that was sitting with you here in this restaurant were members of the student council.'

'I am NOT a member of that stupid council Haruka.'

'You ARE Yuu.'

'Well I didn't sign up for that.'

'That's because you're elected.'

'Anyway, mom and dad had completed all of the procedures so Karin and I will be re-entering St. Mary soon.'

'We hope to see you there Yuu. At least.'

'Sorry to say this but I don't plan to go back to that place Yukino. I already took the entrance exam to go to Yoh's school.'

'EH?'

'No way...you're going to OUR school?'

'Afraid so. Luchist already helped me with the procedures and all.'

'That's impossible! No one ever told me anything! Not even Fuyuki!'

'That's because I just found out about it yesterday Haruka.'

'WHAT?'

'If I were to tell him earlier there might be a possibility that he'll find ways to stop me so I didn't tell him until all of the procedures were complete.'

'B-B-B-But why? Wouldn't St. Mary made a better choice?'

'I don't like that place.' everything turned silent out of a sudden.

'Anyway, we better hurry up and leave. We need to get going.' Shiro stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

* * *

Shiro was sitting in the tea room reading books when someone knock on the door. Shiro sighed.

'Come in.' he continue to read his book as the person came in and walked towards him.

'What are you reading?' Shiro jumped and quickly turned.

'M-Mr. Avery...' the man smiled at him.

'May I join you?'

'S-Sure.' he immediately closed his book and take another empty cup and saucer that was placed in a tray on the table. Then, he took the teapot on the tray and poured tea into the empty cup before passing it to the elderly man. An awkward silence enveloped the both of them as they took a sip from their cup of tea.

'I heard you took the entrance exam to your younger brother's school.' Mr. Avery finally broke the silence between them.

Shiro looked down into his cup of tea.

'I-I...'

'It's okay Yuu. Fuyuki told me everything. I just want to tell you my offer will always be open so don't hesitate to tell me whenever you want to return.' Shiro gave him a look of disbelief.

'Mr. Avery, I am transferring to another school! and yet right here you're still offering me a place? Why? It's not like I am the best student in this whole freaking world! In fact, I think the only thing I'm good at was to bring problems to people!'

'Yuu, you don't bring problems to the school. Strange accidents happens there everytime.'

'Yeah right! If that were all strange accidents why did your wife yells at me every time she sees me?'

'Yuu, she doesn't fully know what was going on.'

'Yes, so is the St. Mary students. So is myself.'

'Yuu, you know that's not what I meant!'

'Sure! I don't! I think I never did know what anyone meant from what they said!' Shiro angrily slid open the door only to see a worried Keiko in front of him. He ignored her and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Lyserg and Hao walked around the mansion together as Lyserg was looking for Jeanne and Hao was looking for Shiro. Suddenly, Lyserg spoke.

'Hao?'

'Yes?'

'Umm...Well...about that time...I'm sorry I attacked you without thinking Hao.'

'Oh, you don't have to apologize to me about that. Shiro protected me so I think the one you should apologize to is him.' Lyserg smiled at Hao who blinked.

'What?'

'Nothing. Just that you sort of...mellowed since Shiro came into your life.' Hao gave him a sincere smile surprising him.

'If you stick with him long enough you'll understand why I have 'mellowed' like what you said.' Lyserg laughed at that.

'He was really scary Yoh-kun!' A voice caught their attention.

'Manta, I think you're seeing things...' another voice caught their attention. They followed the source of voice.

'Ah! Hey Lyserg, Hao-nii!'

'What's going on Yoh?'

'Yeah...what are you guys talking about?'

'Oh, Manta said he heard Shiro-nii arguing with Mr. Avery.' Yoh could have sworn Hao's expression turned serious.

'What?' they turned to see Haruka, Yukino and Karin walking towards them.

'Oyamada-san, are you really sure it was him who argued with Mr. Avery?'

'Yes, Haruka-kun. I really heard it. It was definitely him.'

'Absolutely?'

'Absolutely.'

'Do you have any idea where Shiro is Oyamada?'

'I'm not really sure but I think he most probably went back to his room.'

* * *

Fyra and Sephira woke up when they heard the door creak open and saw Keiko staring at their master at the door. They turned and saw that Shiro had snuggled up to himself, his knees to his chest as he buried his face in his between his arms as he sat quietly on the floor. They went to sleep again knowing Keiko will not harm their master in any way. Keiko smiled gratefully at the two and went to sit beside the boy. However, the boy didn't even budge. It somehow made Keiko wonder if he knew she was even there. She gently patted his back.

'I'm fine Aniki. Just leave me alone.' Shiro uttered still not moving an inch.

'You don't look very fine to me though...' Shiro's head perked up in surprise this time. The woman smiled.

'A penny for your thoughts?' Shiro looked away.

'Why ask when you already know?' Keiko wrapped his arms around the boy who stiffened at the sudden physical contact. Then, she gently stroke his hair.

Shiro began to relax as he felt the gentle caress soothe out his thoughts and calm him down. At the same time, the thought of his older brother came into his mind. His brother had done the same thing whenever he was depressed about something. Of course, that only happens when there was no one around them. Shiro rested his head on her chest surprising Keiko.

'Can we...stay like this for a while?' Keiko noticed Shiro was blushing a little as he said that. Keiko smiled and the two of them sat like that until...

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Shiro groaned mentally as he reluctantly pulled away from the hug. Somehow, he wasn't surprised when he opened the door to see his brothers and friends.

'Is there anything I can help you all with?'

'Well, it would be nice if you would first...let us in?'

'Uhhh...hold on a sec.'

Shiro turned to Keiko with a panicked look while Fyra and Sephira that were both resting on Shiro's bed immediately woke up with a jolt. Keiko knew what was going on so she went into the bathroom to hide herself. Fyra and Sephira rushed into the bathroom as well. A few moments later there was a bright light emitted from the bathroom. Fyra and Sephira then came out and gave Shiro a thumbs up sign. Only then Shiro opened the door. They all went in the room and sat on the bed. Shiro pulled the chair from a table nearby and sat on it.

'So, what is it do you want?' Shiro asked with a slight tinge of nervousness in his voice.

* * *

'Mikihisa!' The man turned and saw Yohmei and Kino walking towards him.

'Otou-san, is there something wrong?'

'Have you seen Keiko anywhere?' Mikihisa blinked in surprise.

'Wasn't Keiko with you all the time?'

'No. She said something about going to have some tea with you.'

'But she told me she will be spending some time with you.' Now it was Yohmei who blinked in surprise.

Out of nowhere swirls of blue flames appeared and the next thing they knew Keiko was already standing there smiling at them.

'I finally found you Otou-san. You know I-'

'HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO THAT?' Yohmei stared incredulously at her daughter knowing that she wasn't capable of pulling off something like that. Keiko placed her index finger near her mouth.

'It's a secret.'

* * *

During the night, everyone had gathered at their respective positions while the priest and priestess had began to patrol around the mansion together with the shamans (except for Kino, Yohmei, Keiko). Hao, Shiro and Yoh will be patrolling together. As Hao and Shiro can't see ghosts properly (or so they thought), it would be safer for them to be with Yoh. Right now, Ruriko was assigned to lead them to their position.

'Ruriko-san, does demons appeared here every night?' Yoh asked after long moments of silence.

'Yes, they were attracted to the miasma Miss Isabella emitted.'

'I can't see anything though.' Shiro said dully although he knew the miasma surrounding her had increased a few times when he visited her not too long ago.

'Okay, you three will be in charge of this area. Do you understand?' the three nodded.

'I'll be going then.'

A few moments after she left, Shiro felt a malicious aura that was slightly similar to what he had felt from the monster that appeared yesterday in the mansion. A piercing scream caught their attention and they were about to ran towards the source of voice to see what was going on when a monster abruptly descended onto the ground from above.

'I can't see it very clearly.' Hao lied.

'Me neither. Hey Yoh, what does it looked like?' Shiro turned to Yoh who sweatdropped knowing that the monsters were clearly visible to them. The monster charged forward.

'Oversoul, spirit of sword!' Yoh readied himself and charged forward.

'Amida-ryuu Gokoujin!' the monster was sliced into a thousand pieces.

'Yoh look out!' Shiro held up his lance and attacked another monster that appeared behind Yoh successfully killing it in one blow.

'Whew...thank you Shiro-nii.'

'Don't thank me yet, look around you.' Yoh noticed that monsters have gathered around them. The three brothers stood together back to back.

'It seems like the monsters have brought their own reinforcements as well.' Hao smirked.

'Looks like things are gonna get rough tonight.' Shiro readied himself. Yoh and Hao did the same.

* * *

'Austere slash!' Shiro sliced the last remaining monster into half.

'_Huff_..._huff_...Finally, we're finished here.'

'No time to talk Yoh_...huff_..._huff_...We need to help the rest._...huff_..._huff_...They are most probably struggling with the monsters as well._...huff_..._huff_...'

'Heh...they sure have come in a huge number tonight right Shiro?._...huff_..._huff_...'

'Yeah..._huff...huff_...I'm still up for some more fighting though!_...huff_..._huff_...'

'You know, you both looked like you're actually having fun in the midst of all this!_...huff_..._huff_...' Yoh stared at his two brothers who looked all fired up despite their exhaustion.

'Nah...It's just your imagination.' Shiro and Hao answered simultaneously and Yoh sweatdropped at that.

'So, are we ready to go? Yoh? Shiro?'

'Yeah...I guess.'

'Absolutely.'

'Well, come on!' the three dashed to the next area. Amidamaru appeared beside Yoh in spirit ball mode.

'Shiro-dono and Hao-dono seems kind of...enthusiastic don't you think?' Yoh smiled.

'Yeah...'

* * *

'You don't need to do this. Just let the servants do the job.' told his wife who shook her head.

'It's okay. I'm free at the moment.' sighed. Her wife can be really stubborn at times.

Both Mr and Mrs. Avery was on their way to their daughter's room. had personally prepared some tea and snacks for her hoping that she would eat them. However, as soon as they arrived, her daughter was not there. Mrs. Avery dropped the tray of tea and snacks on the floor.

'Isabella...'

* * *

Ruriko braced herself as the monster charged forward.

'Amida-ryuu Gokoujin!' Yoh attacked the monster before it could attack the priestess. Then, he turned to her.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah...thanks.'

'Come on Yoh. I think Utsuki could use some help.'

'Yes, Hao-nii.'

'Let's go!' the two ran and join Shiro who was already fighting the last monster that was still standing.

'Frigid Laceration!' the monster collapsed onto the ground.

'Hey, don't go get yourself ripped apart Shiro.'

'You'll get yourself killed if you keep watching me fight Aniki.'

'Come on, I'm just in AWE of how strong you've become Shiro.'

'S-Shut up!'

'Hey, don't get too worked up. You'll tire out quickly.'

'I'm not worked up!'

'It's okay, you don't have to hide it. It's written all over your face.'

'Can't you be a little bit more serious for once Aniki?'

'Oh, but I am serious.'

'Would two you just focus in your fight? I can't concentrate with you both talking over there.'

'See? Even Yoh's getting annoyed with you!'

'Well, I can't concentrate without talking so we're kind of stuck. Bear with me alright?'

'Argh! I really hate you sometimes!'

'I'll take that as a yes then.'

The three continue to fight the monsters while Utsuki, Ruriko and a few priest stared at them dumfounded.

'Amazing...' one of the priest said as he stared at them in awe.

**'So that's the true strength of the three brothers...'** Utsuki thought to herself.

'Utsuki-sama, why don't we go and help the others? I'm sure the three can fend them off just fine.'

'That won't be necessary Ruriko-san.' they turned and saw that everyone have gathered here and were now staring at Yoh, Hao and Shiro as they fought.

'So, was that the last of the monsters?'

'Yeah...'

'I see. Should we lend them a hand?'

'I don't think so Jeanne. Those three are more than enough to fend them off. Plus, they kind of looked like they were actually...enjoying it...'

'Amida-ryuu Gokoujin!' Yoh gave the monster the last blow and the monster toppled onto the ground with a thud. Shiro went forward without lowering his guard and give it a small kick. No response. Yoh and Hao lowered their weapons as Shiro gave a thumbs up sign.

'Good job Yoh.' Hao ruffled Yoh's head in a brotherly manner surprising him.

'Interesting...' Everybody turned to see Isabella standing not too far away from them. They could see that the dark aura surrounding her have increased tremendously.

'Isabella! What are you doing here?'

'She's NOT Isabella Yuu.' Isabella's expression darkened.

'Hmph. So you're one of those new priest who are going to send me away huh?' she grinned wickedly.

'Are you kidding me? First that annoying girl. Now this boy?' she laughed maniacally and then glared at Shiro.

'Don't underestimate me.' the dark aura surrounding Isabella's body charged towards Utsuki. However, a barrier formed around her and repelled the aura away.

'My minions! Kill them!' the monsters all charged forward but before they could get any closer, two person appeared out of nowhere and one of them created a water barrier around them while the other one burned the monster until they turned into ashes using swirls of flames. After that, they disappeared as soon as they came.

Isabella flew up the stone wall and landed on the railings. Both Isabella and the monster turned to them.

'Now then, we shall get going first. Let's go.' the monster possessing Isabella ordered and they flew away.

'ISABELLA! NOOOOOOOO!' Mrs. Avery's sudden exclamation took everyone by surprise and their heart skipped a beat. However, her daughter had ignored it instead. All of them turned to Mr. Avery who was trying to stop his wife from running out of the house knowing how dangerous it was at the moment.

'Mrs. Avery please get inside! It's dangerous!' Utsuki went to help the man.

'NOOOOO! ISABELLA COME BACK!' She struggled to break free from his husbands grip but to no avail. Yoh noticed that the monsters have began to retreat slowly and that was when he realized that it was almost dawn already. Shiro meanwhile continued to stare at Isabella's mother. He found himself unable to believe what he was seeing as he knew Isabella's mother was not the type of person who'll cry so easily. Somehow, despite how badly she had treated him this morning, he felt kind of sad for her. Perhaps its because he understood the pain of losing someone precious to oneself.

* * *

It was already 2 o' clock in the evening yet no one had gotten any rest after the long fight yesterday. Rather, they find it difficult to rest with Mrs. Avery non-stop crying and calling out to her daughter at the same time. Not to mention Shiro had receive lots and lots of yelling from her whenever he's nearby. At once she'd even go as far as to throw a vase at him but thanks to his sharp senses he had managed to evade the vase before it got him injured. Yoh didn't understand why she disliked his brother so much because whenever he asked someone, no one would answer.

Yoh shook his head as he tie a scarf around his neck. He then put on the black colored knee-length coat he lent from Hao and wore a pair of boots that he knew belonged to Hao before walking towards the garden that was now covered with thick layers of snow. He turn to look at the rooftop in which he immediately spotted the person he was looking for. He was wearing the white knee-length coat that Hao worn not long ago with a scarf around his neck and the white mitten he was wearing on his head was covered with snow indicating he had been there for a long time.

'Shiro-nii!' Yoh called out without a second thought and the flock of white birds that was originally accompanying the long haired boy all flew away.

'Opps...' Yoh muttered and gave his brother a sheepish grin. He blinked in surprise as Shiro gestured for him to come up and join him. He walked a few steps back before he sprinted towards the building and jumped up and landed on the roof.

'Not bad.' Shiro commented and Yoh smiled as he went to sit beside him.

'So, is there anything I can help you with?'

'Oh...i-it's nothing...' Shiro raised an eyebrow and Yoh sighed in defeat.

'I don't get it. Why did Mrs. Avery hated you so much?'

'I see...so that's what you're here for...'

'I already ask everyone! Hao-nii...Haruka-san...Yukino-chan...Karin-chan...Luchist...Opacho...even the Yoshifumi family! But everyone wouldn't answer me! They would ignore what I asked and skip the subject!'

'Sorry about that Yoh. They just...don't think you should get involved in this case. First of all, it's sort of a...sensitive issue among us. Not to mention it is very complicated.'

'But I'm your Otouto! I'm Hao-nii's Otouto! Doesn't that give me the right to know?'

'Yes, you are our siblings. However, in reality if you looked at it from different angle you're only our sibling because we came from the same womb. That reason is already more than enough for them to not answer your questions.'

'That's not true!' Yoh stood up.

'Oh really? Then how come you never realize I'm not Hao when we first met?' Shiro stood up as well.

'That's because I didn't even know you exist!'

'And when have you ever heard of a case where NO ONE in the whole family knew they had another family member?' Yoh's eyes widened in realization.

'NONE. Because at least...at the very least, the mother of the child should have known even if no one ever did...and Keiko only remembers having given birth to two boys.'

'That's not fair! We didn't know you exist because-'

'I know. Aniki ate my soul so it didn't count right? Then what about our brother? Aniki was there all the time. Everyone in your family knew it. Yet, when have they ever treated him like a real family member? Also...are you daring enough to tell me that you have treated him like a brother?' Yoh lowered his head. Shiro took a deep breath.

'Yoh, I hated to admit it too but right now it's practically a fact. You have seen it yourself when your grandfather was nearby our brother.' Shiro turned his back and walked away. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

'By the way, you have NOT asked everyone.' Yoh looked up in surprise as Shiro jumped off the roof and landed gracefully on the ground. He ran up the walls of the fence and when he was standing on the railings of the wall, he glanced at Yoh for one last time before leaping out of the mansion.

Yoh sighed as he jumped off the roof and landed on the ground. He turned and saw Hao, Haruka, Yukino and Karin staring at him with an unreadable expression. Yoh felt a little bit awkward as he noticed Hao and him were wearing the same outfit from head to toe.

'We're going out to get some hot chocolate Yoh-san. Mind to join us?' Yukino asked.

* * *

Shiro was waiting near a stoplight when Opacho suddenly called out to him. Shiro turned and smiled as Luchist and Opacho walked towards him. Shiro smiled when he notice Opacho wearing the winter clothing he bought her a while ago.

'Here.' Luchist passed Shiro the knapsack he had been carrying. Shiro checked the contents before taking out the tour book in the knapsack.

'Thanks a lot Luchist. Though...sorry for causing you so much trouble.' Shiro slung the bag over his shoulders.

'It's okay. After all, the seminar ended earlier than I expected. Though, I have to get going Shiro. I have a meeting in 2 hours.'

'As expected of our workaholic Luchist.' Luchist smiled and placed his hand on the boys shoulder.

'Take good care of yourselves when I'm gone okay?'

'Roger that!' Shiro and Opacho said in unison.

'Alright, I'll be going now. And before I forgot, don't stay outside for too long or you'll catch a cold.' they nodded and the man walk across the street and went into the taxi that had been waiting.

'Come on Opacho.' Shiro lifted her up and placed her on his shoulders. Opacho hold onto his head as Shiro walked across the snowy pavement while flipping the pages of the tour book.

'So, where are we going today Shiro-sama?'

Hmm...let's see, where should we go? Since it's winter now famous gardens and parks are definitely out of the list...hmmm...' Shiro went through the tour book.

'What do you think of Tokyo tower?' Shiro looked up at Opacho who shook her head vigorously.

'Opacho is afraid of heights.'

'Oh yeah...Ummm...What about Shibuya?' he thought for a moment and shook his head.

'Nah, I'm not very fond of shopping and entertainment districts.' he answered his own question.

'Ah! How about Ozorezan Aquarium Opacho?'

'Aquarium? Opacho want to go!' Opacho beamed and Shiro let out a small laugh.

'Alright. It's Ozorezan Aquarium then.'

* * *

'Ne Hao-nii, where are we going?'

'Didn't you hear what Yukino said? We're going to get hot chocolate.'

'The thing is...this is not really a place where you could get hot chocolate you know...' Yoh turned to his right and saw the sea partially frozen with the wooden jetty covered heavily with snow. He smiled. This was the place where Shiro saved him and his family when the whole car had plunged into the sea at that time. It was one of the rare moments where his brother forgot about the family feud and let bygones be bygones.

'Feeling better?' Haruka snapped him out of his thoughts and Hao stomped on his feet. That was when Yoh finally realised that they weren't actually planning to go out to get any hot chocolate at all.

'Guys...'

'Don't misunderstand anything! W-We're only doing this because we didn't want to cause more headaches for Shir-' Yoh lunged himself at his brother and since Hao didn't see it coming the two fell onto the snowly covered ground.

'Opps...Sorry about that, Hao-nii...'

'Fine, get off me!'

'Ohh...sorry...' Yoh moved aside. Suddenly a snowball hit Yoh on his head. He blinked as Haruka, Karin and Yukino burst out laughing at him. Out of the blue, three snowballs landed straight in their face silencing them.

'Strike three.' Yoh turned to Hao who gathered some snow before forming a ball of snow on his hands. Yoh looked at his brother with slight disbelieve. Hao looked up when he felt Yoh staring at him.

'What are you waiting for? Strike at them before they-' a snowball landed straight in his face before he could finish. Haruka burst out laughing when Yukino and Karin threw a snowball at him simultaneously. Yoh burst out laughing. He didn't know he should say whether Haruka looked like a santa claus or a snowman. Then, a snowball landed on his face and Hao let out a small laugh when Yukino threw a snowball at him. Yoh formed a snowball on his hands and threw it at Hao's direction before Haruka's snowball hit him in the arm.

* * *

'Wahh...'

'So this is how the world of underwater looked like.' Shiro and Opacho stared in awe at the various marine creatures that swam around the tank as they looked around the marine tunnel. Suddenly, a tinge of malicious aura alerted Shiro and he looked around the place searching for the source.

'Wah!' Opacho saw a shark and Shiro quickly pulled her closer to him. The sound of someone giggling caught their attention and they turned and saw a group of teenagers staring them. Shiro gave them a cold glare and all of them went quiet.

'Come on Opacho, let's go.' Shiro and Opacho walked away.

* * *

'ASAKURA YOH! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?' Anna's voice thundered through the whole mansion.

'A-Anna-sama...p-please calm down...' Tamao who was following her from behind stammered as her guardian spirits hid behind her.

'HOW CAN I CALM DOWN? HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE HAVING HIS TRAINING AT THIS MOMENT! HOW DARE HE SKIPPED MY TRAINING!' Anna turned at the corner and nearly bumped into Jeanne and Lyserg.

'HAVE YOU SEEN YOH?' Anna asked Lyserg.

'Ummm...no...'

'Hmph. Get lost!' Anna angrily shoved her aside and Lyserg immediately caught her before she fell.

'Jeanne-sama, are you alright?' the girl nodded.

'Come on Tamao. We still need to look for Yoh!'

'Y-Yes, Anna-sama.' She bowed at Lyserg and Jeanne before catching up with Anna.

'Grr...he is soooo DEAD when I find him!'

* * *

Everyone clapped their hands as the dolphin did a back flip before diving back into the water. The trainer then held up a loop and whistled. The dolphin leap above the water surface and jumped through the loop earning another clap from the audience.

'We should really come here more often. Right Opacho?' Opacho nodded excitedly.

'I should consider bringing Aniki and Yoh with me next time. I'm sure they would love to see this.' he muttered to himself when he felt that malicious aura again. This time, Opacho felt it too. Both of them turned and saw Isabella standing at the furthest corner staring at them.

**['Opacho, you stay here and watch the show alright? If anything happens, stay still. I'll come and get you. Most importantly, try to avoid yourself from talking to strangers about anything alright?']** Opacho stared at him worriedly but nonetheless gave a nod. Shiro instantly stood up.

'Hey! Sit down will you! I'm trying to watch the show!' Shiro glared at him.

'Uehehehehe...d-do as you please...' Shiro quickly made his way out of the place.

**'Shiro-sama, please be careful...' **

'Excuse me, but is there anyone sitting beside you?' Opacho turned and saw the teenage girl that was in the group both Shiro and Opacho met at the marine tunnel. Opacho shook her head and she sat at the empty seat.

'Say, what's your name?'

'Opacho.' Opacho answered after long moments of silence.

'Nice to meet you Opacho-chan. I'm Hitomi. Ne Opacho, where is the other boy who was with you? You know...the one with the long black hair...'

'Well...Opacho's hungry so he went to buy Opacho something to eat.'

'Awww...How sweet of him! What's his name Opacho?'

'Sorry but Opacho promised not to tell anyone his name.'

'I-I see...is he your brother?' Opacho nodded.

'Then you must know him very well Opacho.' Opacho nodded.

'Then, I suppose you know his phone number?'

* * *

All of them lied down on the snowy ground exhausted from the previous snowball fight.

'Hah...that was fun guys!'

'Huff...huff...I'm so tired man...'

'Heh, loser...huff...huff...'

'I heard that Fuyuki! huff...huff...'

'Seriously, you two never stop fighting...huff...huff...'

'Yukino's right. You NEVER stop arguing.'

'Anyway...huff...huff...thanks guys...for everything...huff...huff...'

'You don't need to thank us Yoh-san...huff...huff...we had fun too...huff...huff...'

'Still...huff...huff...We better get home soon...huff...huff...we wouldn't want Yoh's family to start making noise...huff...huff...'

'Aww...huff...huff...I want stay here a little bit longer Hao-nii...huff...huff...'

'Come on...huff...huff...Just a little bit longer alright Fuyuki?'

'Yeah...huff...huff...it's not everyday we get to spend time like these...huff...huff...'

'Yeah...huff...huff...come on Fuyuki...huff huff...just this once...'

'Fine...huff...huff...just a little while longer...huff huff...'

'Thanks...'

'Whatever...'

* * *

'Yuuuu! Fuyukiii! You guys in there?' Sara opened the door and saw Tsuzuki and Sayuri staring at her with a questioning look.

'Oopss...sorry about that mom, dad.' She closed the door.

'Seriously, where are they?'

'WHERE'S YOH?' Sara jumped and turn to see an angry Anna and a nervous Tamao.

'You talking to me?'

'OF COURSE! WHO ELSE IS HERE BESIDES YOU?'

'What's going on?' Sayuri and Tsuzuki came out of the room.

'What's with all the racket Anna?' Yohmei and Kino coincidentally passed by the place.

'Yoh-sama s-skipped his training. W-We looked for him everywhere but w-we can't seem to find him.'

'That's weird, I can't find Yuu and Fuyuki either.' Yohmei paled.

'Don't tell me...'

* * *

'Hurry up my minions! GET ME THAT BOY!' a group of monsters rushed towards Shiro while he was fighting with a group of possessed men.

'Oh no you don't!' Fyra appeared out of nowhere and burned the pack of monster coming Shiro's way.

Fyra then flew towards him and formed a circle of flames around the two of them to buy some time. He turned to his master who was beginning to tire out.

'Are you alright Shiro-sama?' Shiro nodded while gasping for air.

'Shiro-sama...you should have brought Sephira with us...'

'I know..._huff...huff._..but then I can't afford to miss anything important going on in that mansion can I?..._huff...huff._..'

'I understand that but the thing is...we're seriously outnumbered.'

'Well..._huff...huff._..who would've thought..._huff...huff._..I would end up going into the monsters nest.._huff...huff._..I mean.._huff...huff._..what kind of monsters hide in an aquarium anyway? _huff...huff._..'

'On the other hand, it makes perfect sense Shiro-sama. With so many humans around here they can possess anyone in order to get what they want.'

'I can see that Fyra.' Shiro turned the a group of humans on the floor that he had knocked out before. He certainly wouldn't want to end up like that. Well...not that he would anyway.

'Still...that Isabella girl's body is surprisingly long lasting. Normally only experienced shamans could last that long.'

'Of course she lasts! I don't possess any ordinary humans! I only possess humans whom I think worthy enough for me! You should be honored that you were given this privilege child!'

'Seriously, I would have feel even more honored if I'm not granted with a privilege like that.' Shiro muttered before launching an attack on a pack of monsters that have managed to get through the flame.

One of the monsters evaded the attack and using his claws he managed to launch an attack on Shiro causing a deep cut on his shoulder. Shiro reacted quickly and cut off the monsters head. He clutched his wounded shoulder. The monsters took the opportunity and all of them lunged at him simultaneously but Fyra burnt them all.

Shiro's hand emitted a bluish glow and the glow formed into a blue orb on his hand. Little fragments of light were radiating through the orb on his hand and then, it abruptly shone brightly and then it dissipated into nothingness. All of the monsters stared at the boy surprised as the wound on his shoulder had disappeared.

'T-That boy was a shaman himself!'

'_Sigh_...I wasn't hoping for things to turn out this way but now that you know what I am...I guess it would be useless to keep hiding it.' Shiro began reading an incantation.

'Like we'll let you!' monsters appeared from all directions but Fyra burnt them to ashes once again.

'Fudou myou-ou Kakaiju!' swirls of flame appeared and materialize into the form of a dragon and burnt all of the monsters into ashes leaving only the monster possessing Isabella. Shiro walked towards Isabella who was trembling in fear.

'I don't know why are you doing this but the one thing I know now is that I'm going to get you out of that body whether you like it or not.'

Suddenly, a cracking sound caught their attention. Shiro turned and that was when he noticed the damage he had done to the place while fighting with the possessed men before.

'Oh crap.'

The whole the staircase above crashed down onto them.

* * *

'Say, Opacho, where do you live?'

'Opacho can't tell.' Hitomi sighed. No matter what she asked, the reply was always the same-Opacho can't tell. It was kind of frustrating in her opinion.

Just then, the sound of something crashed caught everyone's attention. Everyone looked around and some glanced at each other. Surely it wasn't their imagination right? Then, they heard it again. Everyone began to panic and the whole place turned chaotic.

'Everyone please don't panic we're only experiencing technical difficulties! Calmly head towards the exit in calm orderly manner-'

Suddenly, the ceiling and the aquarium tank began to crack slowly. The aquarium manager looked around the place before turning back to the visitors.

'Ok now you can panic.'

'AHHHHHHH!'

'Come on Opacho!'

'But I have to-'

'We don't have much time!'

* * *

Yoh was about to enter the mansion through the gate when he realized that Haruka, Karin, Yukino and Hao weren't following him.

'What's wrong guys?'

'Yoh-san, we think you should go in first. If your families sees us with you, things are bound to get troublesome.'

'I guess you're right Yukino-chan. Sorry about that guys...' Yoh smiled apologetically.

'Hey, no need to apologize to us for anything. After all, we're friends right?' Yoh smiled and nodded.

'You better hurry up Yoh. We wouldn't want the old man to-'

'Yoh! What are you doing going out with that demon!' Yohmei, Kino, Mikihisa and Anna rushed towards them. Haruka sighed.

'Speak of the devil and it shall appear Fuyuki.'

'Ojii-san, it's not what you think. I-'

'Yoh...you skipped my training this whole afternoon...JUST TO GO OUT WITH THEM?' Anna pointed at Hao and his friends.

'Kyouyama Anna-san, just because he is your fiancée and you have control over his life that doesn't mean you have control over his will. Do understand that.' Yukino's voice was colder than usual. Yoh gulped as the two girls glared at each other.

'Yoh, why are you still standing so close to them? COME HERE!' Yoh flinched.

'Hey, don't you even know how to treat your own grandson?'

'SHUT UP! I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!'

'SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF? JUST BECAUSE HE'S STANDING CLOSER TO US DOESN'T MEAN HE NOT ON YOUR SIDE!'

'WE HEARD THAT YOU RUNT!'

'OF COURSE YOU DO! I SAID IT LOUD AND CLEAR!' Hao gestured Haruka to stop.

'Asakura Yohmei...I advise that you don't bite off more than you can chew.'

'Like we'll ever listen to you!'

'I'm saying this for your very own good. To be truthful with you all, I don't really mind if people preferred not to listen...After all, I'm sure everyone would be GLAD to hear about your little...'gift of kindness' to me from all of you. ESPECIALLY our beloved Shiro.' the four Asakura's face turned pale.

'Hao-nii, what are you talking about?'

_Ring! Ring!_

'Opps...excuse me.' Haruka took out his ringing phone and answered it.

'Hello?' the person said something which causes Haruka to pass the phone to Hao.

'It's for you.' Hao gave him a doubtful look before taking his phone.

'Hello? Who is this? Oh, what's the matter Luchist?' Hao listened attentively and suddenly...

'WHAT? SHIRO GOT TRAPPED IN THERE?' Hao knew everyone was staring at him now but he didn't care. He regained his composure immediately.

'Where are they now?' Haruka, Yukino and Karin placed their ears near the phone to see if they could hear anything.

'Alright. I'll get there as soon as I can.' Hao pass the phone back to Haruka.

'Come on guys, we need to hurry.'

'HAO, WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT HAPPENED TO SHIRO?'

'NONE OF YOUR CONCERN OLD MAN!' they exclaimed at the same time and ran away.

'HAO, GET BACK HERE!' Mikihisa chased after them but they disappeared in a lick of flames.

* * *

Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) opened her eyes and could NOT believe what she was seeing. Rather, she could not believe what had happened a few moments ago.

Shiro had pushed her out of the way before the whole stair crashed onto Fyra and him.

She went towards the spot where Shiro was standing before and began pushing away the fragments of the stairs that have now shattered and became smaller pieces. When the fragments had been removed, she dragged him to a safer area. Then, he shook him awake.

'H-Hey, wake up!' Surprisingly, he opened his eyes. He attempted to sit up but failed so Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) helped him.

'Thanks.' He smiled gratefully and turned to the group of humans on the floor that he had knocked out before. They were still unconscious.

'Fyra.' the spirit appeared in front of his master.

'Do you think you could send them somewhere safer without being noticed?' the spirit nodded and Shiro ruffled his head.

'I knew I could count on you.'

'Umm...Shiro-sama, I have a question...'

'What is it?

'Aren't we going to exorcise her?' Fyra pointed to Isabella and she blanched. Shiro turned to stare at her for a moment.

'I don't think it's necessary. At least, not anymore.' Fyra nodded and walked towards the group of humans before making them disappear in a lick of flames. Just then, the whole place started shaking.

'Shiro-sama...we need to get out of here! This place is about to collapse!' Shiro paled suddenly.

'Fyra, I can't! Opacho is still waiting for me!'

'Shiro-sama, what are you doing!'

'I have to go and get her!'

'Sigh...come on.' Fyra urged Isabella.

* * *

'Opacho! Where are you!' Shiro started coughing due to the huge amount of dust around the place. After some struggling, he had finally arrived at his destination. However, he could not sense Opacho anywhere. It was worrying considering that this place was flooded thanks to the water that leaked out from the small cracks of the fish tank. Not to mention now the water level had increased to one feet high.

'Shiro-sama, we should leave. You're clothes are all soaked wet. You'll fall sick wearing them.'

'I-I'm fine. I need to get going...'

'Whoa!' Isabella nearly fell but Shiro and Fyra caught her in time.

'Hey, are you alright?'

'Yeah...I think I tripped on something...'

'Fyra, could you lower down the fire balls?' Fyra obliged and all of them were surprised for a moment. It was a dolphin she had tripped on. Shiro knelt down.

'It's dehydrated. It needs more water. Fyra, give me an overview around here.'

'But Shiro-sama...'

'Hurry up!' Fyra sighed. The fireballs split up giving him a full view of the place and that was when he noticed the shattered dolphin aquarium and the rest of the dolphins lying here and there. At the same time he realized that Opacho was not there at all. Just then...

**[Shiro, where are you?']**

**['Right now, I'm trapped in a collapsing building.']**

**['Shiro, get out of there NOW.']**

**['Aniki, I need look for Opacho.']**

**['Don't worry. Opacho's safe with us now.']**

**['EH?']**

**['She's already outside the aquarium by the time we arrived there.']**

**['Wait, how'd you know I was in an aquarium?']**

**['Cause she called Luchist who called Haruka to tell us.']**

**['Oh...']**

**['Now that you know she's save, hurry up and teleport out of there.']**

**['Aniki, I'm out of furyoku...']**

**['Out of all times..._sigh_...I think you're cursed.']**

**['Whatever. I'll just escape through the long way. Anyway, I got to go. There's something which I need to do at the moment. We'll talk later.']**

'I'm going to increase the water level in this place.'

'Are you nuts? We'll drown!'

'If I don't the dolphins will get dehydrated.'

'But if you do that we'll drown!'

'Not if we get out of this place as fast as we can.'

'You're insane.'

'I always am. Fyra.'

'But Shiro-sama...'

'Hurry up!' Fyra sighed and form a few fireballs which went up to the sprinklers.

'Come on, we need to hurry.' the ceiling crashed onto the exit. Just then, the sprinklers began spraying waters.

'Oh well...I guess we'll have to teleport from here. Fyra, you think you can teleport us out?'

'Sorry to say this Shiro-sama but...I'm out of furyoku myself.' he disappeared and there were silence for a moment.

'Well then, I guess we'll just wait for the rescue team to arrive here then.' Suddenly, the pipe linked to the sprinklers burst and began to pour out huge amounts of water.

'I think you ought to be cursed...' Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) muttered.

'AWW COME ON! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO CRASH AT A TIME LIKE THIS! AND THE EXIT OUT OF ALL PLACES?' a few more pipes burst.

'Gee...thanks a lot genius. Now ALL the dolphins will be saved and WE'RE GONNA DIE IN THEIR PLACE!'

'WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!'

'I CAME BACK TO LIFE!'

'NO YOU DID NOT! YOU'RE JUST TAKING POSSESSION OF THIS GIRLS BODY! IT STILL DOESN'T MAKE YOU ALIVE IN ANY WAY!'

* * *

Hao, Haruka Yukino and Karin stood there waiting for a long time.

'Geez...Why is he taking so long?'

'Judging from his strength, he should be able to get out of there pretty easily right Fuyuki?' no one answered.

'Fuyuki?'

'Hao-sama...' Opacho stared at Hao who sighed.

'Opacho, I'll go and get him out of there so you stay here with Haruka, Yukino and Karin-san alright?'

'Hold it! I'm coming with you Fuyuki.'

'No, it's too risky.'

'That's even more reason why we can't let you go there alone.'

'Seriously, both you and Yuuji always forget about us.'

'Fine, you win. Then what about Opacho? I can't leave her here alone.'

'Oh yeah...alright, Yukino, Karin, you two stay here while we go and look for Shiro alright?'

'Sure.'

'Be careful Onii-chan...Fuyuki.'

'We will.' the two said and ran towards the entrance of the aquarium all the while evading from being caught by the rescue team's men.

* * *

Shiro and Isabella had stopped fighting a few moments ago and was holding on to the dolphin's fin as they swim around the surface of the water. The water level have now rose up to the verge it filled half of the whole place with water.

'Hey.' Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) rolled her eyes.

'What do you want?'

'Why are doing all this?' she turned to him.

'You would just possess that body out of no reason right?' she thought for a moment wondering if she should tell him.

'Hey, its just a matter of time before I drown here you know...can't you at least be a little bit more considerate and fulfill one of my last request here?' she remained quiet. Shiro sighed.

'I came from a broken home.'

'Broken home?'

'Not those broken house! I'm talking about a family that's shattered!'

'Oh...I see.'

'I lived with my father and he was really caring to me...until that wicked woman came.'

'A Cinderella's story eh?'

'Nah...this Cinderella here didn't have a happy ending. I think you already notice that.' Shiro nodded.

'Anyway, back to the story. Ever since they met, dad's been spending more and more time with her than me. Eventually-'

'-they got married.'

'Yeah...she was nice at first. However, when my dad wasn't at home she showed me her true colors. She make me do all the housework and when she felt that she wasn't satisfied with it she'll make me do it again and again. She kept on saying 'Not this way! Do it again! I want it more properly this time! Seriously, if she's that good why don't she do it herself?'

'Sounds scary...'

'Wait till you experienced it yourself.'

'I already did.' she looked at him with disbelieve.

'Before I start my story, I must tell you that my family case is very complicated.'

'Fine fine. Just go on with the story.'

'My brother and I lived with a foster family not as a part of them, but as a servant. They sent my brother out to do some outrageous stuff while I...like you, were made to do housework stuff in a very proper way. When I couldn't achieve what they wanted, they punished me real badly. My brother didn't know it and when he did, he sort of knocked some senses back into their heads so they...I don't know...turn over a new leaf or something? Though...up till today, I still didn't know how my brother found out about it.'

'What about your true family?'

'Well...My true family never knew about my existence.'

'EH?'

'I only existed a while ago.'

'Yeah right!'

'Believe it or not, it's true. My soul had been consumed 16 years ago.'

'You're a terrible liar.'

'I'm not lying. My brother ate me up so that I could not exist. It didn't work though since I'm still here.'

'You brother ate you up?' Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) thought for a moment.

'I know! It even sounds crazy when you were the one saying it!'

'Say...are you an Asakura?' Shiro blinked in confusion.

'How did you know?'

'Then, the one who ate you up must be Asakura Hao.'

'You know him?'

'I've never met him before but I heard about him. He was the strongest shaman to have ever lived and his fire spirit ate up many soul's of human. Though, I am a little surprised you could escape the spirit's wrath. It must be a blessing given to you by the Great Spirits.'

'Are you a shaman when you're living?'

'No. I can only see ghost at that time. But I've met a few of them and they were the ones who told me about him.'

'Then I suppose they told you about the shaman tournament and the Great Spirits?' she nodded.

'Good. Then I'm sure you've heard of my younger brother Yoh.' she blinked.

'You mean...you're not Asakura Yoh?'

'I don't think I've ever heard Fyra calling me Yoh.'

_'Shiro-sama...' _Fyra's words echoed in her head.

'Shiro Asakura? I've never heard anything about you...'

'Like I told you...I didn't exist at that time.'

'Oh yeah...'

'Anyway, that's the overall of my story so let's get back to yours. You still haven't tell me why you're doing all this.'

'_Sigh_...I...I envied her...She has everything. Family, popularity, friends, not to mention she's from a rich family.' She looked up at Shiro who blinked.

'I thought you were the same...I noticed that even though you treated both of your family like a mere acquaintances, yet they still treat you nicely...you have really cool friends and you're popular as well...although in an infamous way...'

'Do you know me?'

'No, but I can tell by looking.'

Suddenly, the whole place started shaking.

'W-What's going on?'

'Get down!' Shiro pushed her into the water just before the pillars landed on them. Then, the two rose up the surface and Isabella was thrown into a coughing fit.

'Sorry about that.'

'Hey, is it me or the water level is decreasing?' Shiro looked around the place. There weren't any decrease.

'Shiro!' he turned and saw the girl sinking to the bottom. He instantly swam down and brought her back up to the surface.

'W-What's wrong?'

'I-I don't know...I...I can't move anymore...My body felt numb...I...I can't felt anything...'

'I see...'

'Shiro-kun, w-what's happening to me?'

'Two spirits in the same body at the same time is an unnatural state and will put stress upon the possessed. You have forcefully possessed her without consideration so she can't take it anymore. In short, she's at her limit. If you continue like this you'll torture her to death.'

'W-What do I do?'

'The only thing you can do now is to get out of the body.'

'NO, I REFUSE!' Shiro sighed.

'Even if you're in that body now you can't do much. If you torture her to death, you'll be forcefully expelled out of the body. What will you be able to accomplish then?'

'NO, IF I COME OUT YOU'LL EXORCISE ME AND...AND...I WON'T BE ABLE TO POSSESS HER AGAIN!'

'I won't exorcise you. If I wanted, I would have done that before...' She didn't reply.

'Come on, I'll help you.' She hesitated.

'_Sigh_...I'll let you use my body as an exchange.'

'Liar.'

'I'm serious!' Isabella jerked at the sudden change in his tone of voice. At least she know he was serious this time.

'How about it?' She thought for a moment.

'You'll let me do whatever I want?' Shiro sighed before giving a reluctant nod.

'Hmmm...how long?'

'Till the moment we get out of this place.' She thought for a little longer.

'No, I'll only do it if you let me use your body ONE WHOLE DAY.'

'WHAT!'

'Hurry up and decide. Isabella's dying here.'

'Suit yourself.' he released her and she began to sink. She began to struggle.

'5...4...3...2...1...' he went and brought her up to the surface.

'I'll give you one hour bonus once we get out of this place. So, do we have a deal?'

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**I know most of you had enjoyed the previous chapter but I just want to tell you guys that the credit mostly goes to one of our reviewer Immersion as the plot was PARTIALLY an idea from him/her so in a sense I was just doing the writing this time. So, let us give our friend Immersion a big clap! *clap clap clap***


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

* * *

**'Hurry up and decide. Isabella's dying here.'**

**'Suit yourself.' he released her and she began to sink. She began to struggle.**

**'5...4...3...2...1...' he went and brought her up to the surface.**

**'I'll give you one hour bonus once we get out of this place. So, do we have a deal?'**

'Fine!' she said and started coughing. Shiro gently patted her on the back.

'W-What is that?' Shiro turned to the direction Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) was pointing and saw the wall glowing in red.

'I'm not really sure but…it looks kind of familiar…wait a second, that's-' the wall was burst by a massive, red, burning hand.

'Spirit of Fire! Shiro-kun quick! Swim away from here!' Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) urged as he was carrying her.

'I found them Haruka!' Isabella (or the spirit possessing her) turned pale. Shiro gently stroke her hair and she looked up.

'Don't worry spirit-san. Aniki is a very nice person now. You'll be just fine.'

'Yuu! Thank goodness you are alright! We were so worried about you!' Haruka exclaimed.

'Sorry guys! The exit got blocked up!' he began to swim towards them. Hao carried the girl up while Haruka pulled Shiro out of the water.

'Isabella?' Hao stared at the girl she was carrying on his hands. His eyes narrowed.

'You're NOT Isabella.'

'S-S-Shiro-kun!'

'Aniki, don't look at her like that. You'll scare her-Achoo!'

'Shiro, are you alright?' Haruka stared at Shiro who began to tremble.

'Of course not you idiot! Here, you take this one.' He passed Isabella to Haruka who blinked.

He took off his coat before wrapping it around Shiro. He then pulled off his scarf and tied it around his neck.

'Aniki…you'll catch a cold…Achoo!'

'I'll be fine. After all, I'm Asakura Hao.' Hao carried him behind his back.

'Come on Haruka. We should hurry up and get out of here.'

'Fuyuki wait.'

'What wrong?' He turned and saw Isabella gasping for air.

'Ahh…it seems her body is at her limit already.' Hao smirked.

'Aniki, could you please transfer her soul into my body?'

'NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. I can't afford to let her escape now that we got her.'

'But I made a promise-'

'Don't joke with me Shiro.' Hao's voice turned cold.

'He did. He promised me he'll let me possess him in exchange of this girl's life until we get out of here.'

'and one hour bonus once we get out of here.'

'Sigh…out of all times!' Hao glared at Shiro but the glare instantly turned into weariness when he saw the boy trembling in cold.

* * *

The rescue squad have so far saved five injured people from the building. One of them suffered severe injuries and were therefore sent to the hospital. The remaining four who suffered some minor injuries meanwhile were being threated by the paramedics. Besides that, the aquarium manager had been surrounded by many reporters that flooded him with many questions until the moment when a girl exclaimed.

'Everyone look!' all of them turned just in time to see Hao and Haruka coming out of the collapsing aquarium all the while carrying Shiro and Isabella behind their backs. Karin, Yukino, Opacho and a Luchist in disguise (who brought some henchmen just in case) that have arrived a few moments ago quickly went to help them. The reporters were totally dumbfounded for a few moments but they quickly came back to their senses and all of them quickly rushed towards the two life savior but were stopped by Luchist's henchmen.

'We'll take them for you.' Haruka and Hao passed Shiro and Isabella to two of Luchists henchmen while the rests of them stopped the reporters. Of course, that didn't stop them from asking questions.

'Thanks. Luchist, we need to get Shiro and Isabella to the hospital quickly.'

'I understand.'

It took them a while to finally reach their car but once they did they quickly fled from the scene. Of course, some persistent journalist chased after them.

* * *

The Yoshifumi's were walking around the mall as Sara and Kaoru were too bored to stay at the mansion. Shinichi was walking a few steps ahead when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something on the TV shop. He quickly walked a few steps back and once he did, he could not believe what he was seeing.

'MOM! DAD! COME AND TAKE A LOOK ON THE TV!'

'Shinichi, what's wrong?'

'MOM LOOK!' Sayuri rubbed her eyes once she saw what was displayed in the TV screen.

'TSUZUKI HONEY!' Tsuzuki groaned and walk towards them.

'Sayuri, you know I don't watch TV shows unless it is...' Tsuzuki's voice trailed off when he saw what was displayed.

_'Five minutes ago these two young boys was seen coming out of the collapsing aquarium carrying two victims of that was apparently their siblings. However, their identity was remained unknown to everyone as they have all fled the scene very quickly.'_

'Oh my gosh...'

'_The rescue squad have claimed that the two boys have rushed into the building-' _

'Let's go.'

'Dad, where are you going?'

'Now is not the time to watch, we need to find the rest!'

'You mean them?' Mr. Avery and appeared with Kaoru and Sara.

'Mr. Avery, what are you doing here?'

'I thought bringing my wife to the mall would cheer her up a little.'

'Where is she then?'

'She's at the clothing department.'

'You came at the perfect time though. We were just about to inform you about something.'

'What is it?'

'Apparently, Yuu and Fuyuki found Isabella.'

* * *

Shiro and Isabella had been given proper treatment and was currently resting in the hospital room. The spirit possessing Isabella have finally got out of her body although it was now in Shiro's body instead. Also, thanks to the nurse's help, the journalist were forced to leave the place so that they would not disturb the hospital patients from resting. Hao have taken a quick shower and changed into a new set of clothes Luchist provided him and was now busy taking care of Shiro since he fell ill. Haruka took his shower after him as Yukino and Karin were taking care of Opacho who was sleeping at the couch. As usual, Luchist was taking care of the medical bill.

Hao removed the now dried towel and submerged the towel in a bowl of water. He drained the water from the towel and dabbed it gently on his face. Shiro or rather, the spirit possessing him abruptly opened his eyes and Hao frowned at him. He folded the towel and placed it on Shiro's forehead before sitting with his arms crossed on the chair placed next to the bed. He continued frowning at the spirit that was taking possession of his younger brother's body.

'What?'

'Nothing.' Hao replied and the spirit possessing Shiro rolled his eyes.

'I might not be a mind reader but I can still interpret your expression Hao. Rather than giving me that look all the time why don't you just tell me what's in that mind of yours?'

'Fine. What exactly do you want?'

'Don't you think what I want is for you to tell me what you want?'

'I'm not referring to that. What I mean is...what are you planning to do with my brother's body?'

'Oh...that. Well I...uhhh...'

'Well?'

'Actually, I haven't thought of anything yet since I never thought I'll actually be able to possess this body...' Hao blinked.

'Oh...I see.'

'Happy now?'

'Yeah.' they continued staring at each other in silence although Hao no longer glare at him.

'Geez...I'm so envious.'

'Of what?'

'Shiro. He might have some terrible memories but he still have a good brother to care for him. Unlike me...'

'I see...Now I'm beginning to get the picture...'

'Huh?' Hao smiled.

'The main reason you're possessing Isabella is because you wanted to be in her shoes am I correct?'

'Wow...you catch up very quickly compared to your brother.'

'I'm Asakura Hao after all.' he shrugged.

'Don't flatter yourself.' the atmosphere turned silent again...

'You know...' Shiro (or the spirit possessing him) turned to Hao.

'Just because a person seems to have everything doesn't mean they're always living a happy life. Same thing applies to other aspects in life. Take Shiro for an example, he might seemed like a strong boy but deep inside, he's pretty soft you know.'

'What do you mean I'm soft!' Shiro said and started coughing. Hao who was watching the scene smiled knowing it was the real Shiro. He removed the now dried towel from his head and placed his hand on his forehead feeling for his temperature. He then submerged the towel in the bowl of water. He paused when he felt the water was too warm. He sighed.

'Yukino, could you do me a favor? The water's getting warm.' Yukino understood what he meant. She walked towards him and placed her hand in the bowl of water. Her hands began to glow for a moment and once the glow dissipated, the water have turned cold.

'That should do it.'

'Thanks.' He submerged the towel again and drained the water from the towel before dabbing it gently on his face.

'Sorry for causing you so much trouble Aniki..._cough..cough_...' Hao folded the towel and placed it back on his forehead.

'Don't be silly Shiro. You're not causing me any trouble. Plus, you took care of me for a few weeks when I got terribly injured that time...' He sat on the edge of the bed.

'Just go to rest. Your body will build more endurance once the fever ran its course.'

'Really?'

'Geez...When have I ever lied to you?'

'Well...you never know...' Shiro started coughing again. Hao shook his head. Shiro sighed tiredly and snuggled into the blanket.

'Anyway, good night Aniki.'

'Well...its 4.50 in the evening but I suppose good night is fine. Good night then.' Hao gently stroke his hair.

'Aniki?'

'Hmm?'

'Can I go out for a walk tomorrow? I want to see the snowflakes.'

'If you recover by tomorrow that is.' Shiro smiled.

'Thanks Aniki.' He drifted off into a light slumber. Hao brushed strands of short hair away from his face. Then, he sat forward and pulled the sheets up to his neck. Suddenly, Hao heard the room door being opened and turned to see the Yoshifumi family coming in. They immediately went towards Shiro's bedside.

'What happened to him Fuyuki?'

'Don't worry Sara. He just got sick that's all.'

'Yuu.' Sayuri called out softly and Shiro opened his eyes.

'How are you feeling?'

'A little bit better I guess...'

'Is there anything you want Shiro?' Shiro hesitated.

'Can I have some water?' Tsuzuki and Sayuri help Shiro to sit upright while Hao reached for the glass of water on the table beside the bowl of water.

'Thanks.'

Suddenly, Sayuri and Tsuzuki felt the presence of another spirit coming from within Shiro. The two stared at him for long moments and that was when they realized that Shiro was trying to avoid their gaze. That somehow confirmed their suspicion.

'Ahhh...I feel so refreshing...' Haruka came out of the bathroom while drying off his hair with a towel. He then placed the towel on the couch and blinked when he saw the Yoshifumi's.

'Hi Mr. Yoshifumi, Mrs. Yoshifumi.' he walked towards Shiro who was lying back down.

'Hey, how's it going?'

'I think I'm feeling a little bit better now.'

'I guess the pills are finally starting to work then.'

'Isabella!' Mr. Avery and Mrs. Avery appeared.

'Haruka!' two unknown person appeared as well.

'Mom? dad?' Karin and Haruka said in unison as they stood up. Their parents hugged them both and sighed in relief.

'Thank goodness you're both alright...we got here as soon as we saw the news.'

'Wow...news sure spread quickly.' Hao commented.

Mr. and Mrs. Avery on the other hand went towards their daughter's bedside. As if knowing her parents were there, Isabella opened her eyes.

'Mom...dad...' Mrs. Avery began crying out of joy and happiness while Mr. Avery sighed in relief. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she began to look around the place.

'Isa, what's wrong?' the said girl's expression turned frantic.

'Where's Yuu?' she asked much to their parents surprise.

'Over here.' Isabella blinked. She knew that voice.

'Fuyuki?'

'Yo. Long time no see Isabella.' Hao smiled knowing that she was focusing her attention on his younger brother instead.

'Is he alright?'

'He's fine...He's just not feeling too well at the moment. Though, I'm surprised you're still so healthy considering how you two were in that 'mini lake' for more than half an hour in the aquarium.'

'What?' Mr. and Mrs. Avery stared at Hao in confusion.

'Oh yeah, is my beloved family coming here as well Tsuzuki?'

'Fuyuki, you know its not nice to ignore someone.' Tsuzuki said in a warning tone. Shiro abruptly fell into a coughing fit and everyone turned to him. Hao sighed.

'Haruka, would you mind lending me your phone?'

'Sure.' he passed him his phone and Hao began dialing a familiar number.

'Luchist, where are you now?'

'Halfway in the room?' Hao turned and saw Luchist opening the door halfway while holding his phone. He closed the phone and passed it back to Haruka.

'Thanks Haruka.' Hao sighed.

'Is there something you need?'

'It's nothing...Haruka, Yukino, Karin, just in case, please take care of things while I'm gone alright?'

'Okay.' the three said simultaneously and he went out of the room.

* * *

Just as Hao stepped out of the hospital, the reporters that he first thought were long gone came out of the bushes and surrounded him and began to flood him with questions while began to take his pictures.

'What is your name?'

'How old are you?'

'Do you have a girlfriend?'

'What is your relationship with the Nishimura siblings and Isabella Avery?'

'None of your concern.'

'How does it feel like to be able to be a life savior?'

'No comment.'

'Which school are you from?'

'Will you just leave me alone?'

'Come on! Don't be so stingy! Share some information with us!'

'I don't have time for this!' Hao glared murderously at all of them who instantly turned quiet although they continue to take his pictures.

'Will you stop taking pictures for heaven's sake?' they stopped taking pictures and that's when Hao saw Yoh who was jumping and waving trying to catch his attention.

'Yoh?'

'Move aside! The future owner of Funbari Onsen, Anna Kyoyama is making an entrance!' Hao sweat dropped as people ACTUALLY made way so that the Asakura's can walk towards him thanks to that itako.

'Hao-nii!' Yoh called out as he ran towards him.

'So his name is Hao...' all of them began to jot down the newly obtained info.

'Will you stop?' Hao glared at them.

'Hao, where's Shiro?' Hao glared at Mikihisa.

'Excuse me sir, who are you?'

'How are you related to this boy?

'How long have you known him?'

'Do you happen to know anything about him?'

'Well...uhh...' Mikihisa hesitated and Ryu abruptly went in front of them.

'My name is Ryu and I'm officially single so if there's anyone who would like to go on a date with me please call me. My phone number is-'

'Move aside you moron!' Anna shoved him off.

'I'm Anna Kyoyama, the soon-to-be owner Funbari Onsen. Faust. Show them the poster.'

Suddenly, the X-Laws made a flashy entrance and pushed people aside as they walked towards them.

'We are the X-Laws!' they made an X pose.

'X is 10!'

'Law is law!'

'S is making it plural!'

'We govern with the 10 commandments and our master has endured all of the earth's evil's for the sake filling the world with peace!'

'This is the reason to join the X-Laws and be with our master, the HOLY GIRL IRON MAIDEN JEANNE! THE GIRL WITH THE IRON WILL!'

All of them stared at them oddly.

'Hey, where's the kid?' one of them pointed out and that was when they realized the absence of a certain long haired boy.

* * *

**'How tenacious...' **Hao thought to himself as walked up the staircase leading to the shrine. Now that he thought about it, it was actually the first time he was actually GLAD that the X-Laws and the Asakuras have appeared. Hao looked around the place and began to wonder how long had he been away from here.

'Welcome back, Hao-sama.' the two shikigami guarding the shrine bowed before him.

'Kouki, Zenki, have you been taking good care of this place?'

'Yes, Hao-sama. We have made sure there were no intruders in the shrine.'

'Good. Where's Matamune?'

'I'm over here, Hao-sama.' Matamune looked around.

'Where's Shiro-sama?'

'He can't come today.'

'I see...'

'Matamune, can you do me a favor?'

* * *

Shiro opened his eyes and saw the blurry image of Keiko and a very familiar looking woman checking his temperature. The three woman didn't seem to notice that he was awake though.

'How was it Hinako-sensei?'

'It's gotten worse.' he heard the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder indicating they were getting closer to him.

'Keiko-san, I think he's waking up.' Shiro noticed two person hovering above him but he couldn't see them very clearly.

'I think you're right Hinako-sensei.' he attempted to sit up but Keiko pushed him back in bed.

'You should lay down.' he looked around the place.

'Where's Aniki?'

'Hao hasn't came back since the time he left.'

'I see...' Shiro sighed tiredly as he looked around the room. Only Keiko and Hinako were in the room. Even Isabella had left.

'Why didn't you leave?' Shiro asked much to her surprise.

'You're having an unusually high fever Shiro. Someone has to take care of you.'

'Really? Then I guess I'm the one at fault here.'

'Everyone gets sick from time to time. You can't escape from it Shiro. The same thing goes to-'

'Aniki right?'

'Yeah...' Keiko nodded and Shiro sighed.

'Being sick is tiring...'

'It's not tiring Shiro. It's because your body is weak at the moment.'

'You should get some rest Shiro. I already gave you the proper vaccination so I'm sure you'll feel better by tomorrow.'

'I hope so. I hate being sick Hinako-sensei.' he forced a smile.

'At least you'll learn to take care of yourself from now on.' Hinako smiled back.

True enough, Shiro have felt so much better when he woke up the next morning. He pulled the sheets aside and stood up from his side of the bed. He felt a little dizzy at first but after a moment the dizziness went away. He looked around the place and was truly surprised when he saw Keiko sleeping on the couch. It somehow made him feel a little bit guilty knowing that she had been taking care of him all night long. He took the sheets on his bed and used it to cover her before going into the bathroom to take a quick shower and change into a new set of clothings. Once he did, he did the things he need to do before finally leaving the room.

* * *

'Keiko-san...' no response...

'Keiko-san...' no response again. Haruka sighed.

'Keiko-san...Keiko-san...' He slowly shook her awake. She slowly opened her eyes.

'Oh...Haruka-san...' She blinked when she saw the sheets covering her. Suddenly, something came into her mind and she woke up with a jolt.

'Shiro...' She looked around the place but the boy was not there. She turned to Haruka.

'Where's Shiro?'

'I don't know. He's already gone when I came here. He left you with something though...' Haruka turned to the table and Keiko did the same. Much to her surprise, a small bento was placed on the table with a cup of hot coffee. She took the bento and saw the small note placed on top of it which made her realize how nice his handwriting was.

_Sorry to cause you so much trouble...Kaa-san._

Tears sprang into her eyes and Haruka who was watching panicked a little.

'A-Are you alright? Did Yuu said something hurtful to you?' she shook her head and smiled at Haruka.

'He...called me...K-Kaa-san...' she started crying out of joy and happiness.

* * *

Shiro slowly walked past the torii and made his way to the shrine. Coincidentally, Hao was about to leave the shrine. He was holding a vacuum flask on his hands.

'Shiro?' Hao stared at him slight incredulous.

'Hey Aniki...'

The two sat on the veranda as Shiro explained what happened while Hao was gone.

'I see. So Keiko took care of you while I was gone?' Shiro nodded as a small smile formed on his face. Hao smiled but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty for not being by his side while he was sick.

'Here.' Hao passed him the vacuum flask. Shiro took it and gave him a questioning look.

'Open it.' Shiro obliged and once he opened it, he gasped in surprise.

'Sakura tea...but Aniki how did you find any sakura to make it?'

'Matamune and I searched everywhere for it since yesterday.' Realisation dawned upon Shiro and pangs of guilt sank in.

'Sorry to have caused you so much trouble Aniki...' Hao noticed the change of expression in Shiro. He smacked his head.

'ITAI! Aniki, what was that for?'

'Idiot! I didn't go through all this to see you give me that look! I only did this so that you'll recover more quickly! Just like that time when you go through all the trouble of taking care of me at the hospital!' Shiro smiled. He closed the vacuum flask and placed it down on the floor. He then hugged his older brother.

'Thank you Aniki...I promise you from now on, I'll take good care of myself.' he pulled back from the hug and reopened the vacuum flask.

'Let's share.' he poured some tea into the cover of the vacuum flask and passed it to Hao while he closed the vacuum flask with the stopper.

The two shared the tea as they watched the snowflakes falling from the sky.

* * *

Keiko arrived at Funbari Onsen with Haruka accompanying her.

'I'm home.'

'Sorry for the intrusion.'

'Welcome home Kaa-san.' Yoh came out of the kitchen while wiping his hands.

'Hey Haruka. What are you doing here?'

'I met her at the hospital so I decided to accompany her home. I guess now that she's save I'll get going now.'

'Wait, why don't you have lunch with us?'

'Don't need to get so friendly with him! He is Hao's allies!' Yohmei walked towards them.

'Jii-chan-'

'Thanks for the offer but I think I should get going Yoh-san. I don't like being too close to a certain prejudice people.'

'Who are you calling prejudice people!'

'I didn't say it was you old man.' he said and left the place. Yoh turned to his mother.

'So, how's Shiro-nii doing?' Keiko stared at him confused.

'He didn't came here?' Now it was Yoh who was confused.

'Wasn't he still in the hospital?'

* * *

Luchist and Opacho came in the room and saw Shiro sleeping on the futon while Hao sat beside him.

'Shiro-sama?'

'Shh...he's sleeping Opacho...' Hao whispered.

'Is he okay?' Luchist sat beside Hao and stared wearily at Shiro who is currently sleeping on the futon.

'He's much better now. Although it seems he still haven't fully recovered from his fever.'

'I see...Then let us take care of him for you Hao-sama, your friends are waiting for you.' Hao gave him a surprised look but he regained his composure quickly. He stood up and left the room.

* * *

_Ding Dong!_

The doorbell of the Yoshifumi mansion rang and Sara looked at the video surveillance system to see who it was. It turned out to be the Asakura family.

'Sara, who is it?'

'It's Keiko-san, Yoh and one of his friend mom.'

'I see...let them in.'

* * *

'You guys sure found this place rather quickly.' Haruka and Karin quickly stood up and went towards him.

'Fuyuki, how's Yuu? Is he alright?'

'He still have not fully recovered yet although the fever's gone down already. Where's Yukino?'

'She didn't want to come in case someone followed her.'

'That's Yukino alright. As cautious as always...' Hao smiled.

'Well, people did say better safe than sorry.'

'Karin's right. I couldn't imagine how troublesome things would become if those annoying Asakuras found this place.'

**'Yeah...it would definitely be troublesome if they make Yoh or that Oyamada brought them here...'**

'Anyway, I don't mind if you want to visit Shiro now but just for your information he's currently asleep.'

'I see...we'll just wait till he wakes up then. Meanwhile, let's find something to do so that we could kill some time.'

'If you guys don't mind, how about helping me cast a barrier around this shrine?'

'Huh? Haven't you already casted a barrier around this shrine Fuyuki?'

'Yes. But I'd like to do some reinforcements to them.'

'Reinforcements? What reinforcements?' Hao smirked.

'Just wait and you'll see.'

* * *

'Eh? Shiro left the hospital already?' The Yoshifumi's blinked in confusion. Yukino took a small sip from her cup of tea pretending that she didn't know anything although she was feeling slightly nervous.

'You think he'll be visiting Isabella in Mr. Avery's mansion?' Manta asked.

'No. As you already know, Yuu doesn't like being anywhere nearby Isabella's mother.' Tsuzuki answered.

'Oh yeah...I forgot.'

'Just where could he be I wonder...' Tsuzuki turned to Yukino who gave a small shrug.

'Ah! I know! Why don't we ask Lyserg? He's a dowser right?'

'Yoh, are you sure he would be able to find Shiro? I mean...even Tamao-chan's kokkuri board couldn't find him.'

'Well, you never know until you try right?' Manta kept quiet.

'Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!'

'Do inform us on Yuu's condition when you found him alright?' Tsuzuki said and they nodded.

* * *

'Whew...all done.' the three stared at the new reinforced barrier that had been completed.

'Great job guys. It was a full success.'

'Wow...creating barriers sure takes a lot of furyoku and hardwork.' Karin sighed.

'You SO owe us big time on this one!' Haruka said.

'Well, now that we're done, lets make ourselves something nice to eat.'

'Oh...Sounds great.'

* * *

Lyserg opened the door revealing Keiko, Yoh, and Manta.

'Oh? Hi guys. What are you doing here?' He let them in and they sat down on the couch. He poured them some tea.

'So, is there anything I can help you?'

'Shiro disappeared.'

'EH? SHIRO DISAPPEARED?' Lyserg's eyes widened.

'Yes. We went to look for him but we just couldn't find him anywhere. Tamao-chan tried searching for him with her kokkuri board but it didn't work.' Yoh sighed.

'We hope you could use your dowsing skills to find him Lyserg-san.' Lyserg smiled.

'I think I know someone better who can help you with that Mrs. Asakura.'

'Lyserg, who's there?' A woman's voice was heard and this time it came from the kitchen. The woman walked out of the kitchen.

'Thank god Ryu wasn't here...' Manta muttered to no one in particular.

'Oh hello there.'

'Mom, this is Yoh's mother, Keiko. I think you already know Yoh and Manta.'

'Pleased to meet you all. By the way, where's your father Lyserg?'

'I'm over here.' all of them turned and saw him walking towards them.

'Mr. Liam!' he stopped Yoh.

'You don't have to repeat things twice. I already heard it.' Yoh and Manta blinked at the man.

'Dad, do you think you could you help my friends?'

'No.'

'Eh?'

'I think you can handle this on your own Lyserg.' Lyserg blinked in surprise. After all, it's not everyday his father would show this much confidence in him. His surprised expression turned serious. He turned to Yoh.

'Wait here. I'll go and get my pendulum.'

* * *

Hao, Haruka and Karin were busy cleaning things up until...

'Yuu!' Karin called out and both Hao and Haruka turned and saw Shiro standing at the door. What's more surprising is that the spirit possessing him was hovering beside him. Karin ran towards him and hugged him. Haruka shot Shiro a glare and he gently but quickly pushed Karin away. Karin already guessed what Haruka did as she noticed Shiro staring at him with a slightly nervous look while she hugged him. These things always happens when she was nearby someone not closely related to her. (even more if the person was a male) She knew that her brother was protective of her but recently she felt that it was developing into some sort of paranoia considering Shiro and Fuyuki was somehow no longer an exception.

'Did you sleep well?' Hao asked Shiro and Karin was instantly snapped out of her thoughts. Shiro nodded and gave a small smile. Hao frowned a little as he gave the hovering spirit a look. He was absolutely sure she wouldn't have come out of his younger brother's body without some 'terms and conditions'.

'Umm...' Hao was pulled out of his thoughts and he turned to Shiro with a questioning look.

'Can you guys...do me a favor...please?'

Haruka, Karin and Hao stared at each other with a look. Did he just say '_please_'?

* * *

'It's strange...I can't seem to get anything from my pendulum no matter how hard I try...' Lyserg frowned as the pendulum remained motionless in mid air. Keiko sighed. Liam shook his head.

'Try again Lyserg.' Liam told Lyserg who lowered his pendulum and sighed knowing what his father said was never wrong. He couldn't understand why his pendulum won't move. Normally, it would have pointed to a certain direction.

'Dad, why can't I get any readings?'

'Don't ask me. It's for you to figure it out.' Lyserg sighed exasperatedly. He knew that if it is his father who was doing this, he would have already found out where they are by now.

'Honey, Lyserg is still a child.'

'That's why I can't spoil him. If he wants to be a good detective like me he has to be able to do this.'

'Well, he is pretty much as strong as Hao after all. It wouldn't be surprised if Lyserg couldn't find him.'

'I guess Mrs. Diethel's right. Shiro-nii would've most probably with Hao-nii right now.'

'What do you mean Yoh?'

'Well, Shiro-nii loves Hao-nii more than anyone in this world since he was the one whom he had always knew ever since he came to life. Also, now that I thought about it I haven't seen Hao anywhere since he left the hospital yesterday...'

'If that's the case, let's look for Hao...'

'Why are you going to do that?'

'You see Yoh, pendulum are not only used to look for humans. It can also be used to search for other things and one of it includes element of fire.'

'I get it! Hao has the Spirit of Fire so it makes us even easier to look for him!'

'Precisely, not to mention with the weather so cold at the moment, finding him would be really easy.'

'Lyserg, we're supposed to look for Shiro-nii...'

'Yoh, you're clueless. First of all there is a strong possibility that Shiro is with Hao. Even if he wasn't, we could still find him since Hao would most probably be able to guess where he was considering he had always been taking care of him so all we need to do is to make him tell us.'

'Ohhhh...'

'But how are we going to make him tell us anything? He still think of us as a-'

'Don't worry Kaa-san. Everything will definitely work out!' Yoh grinned.

'Lyserg, I'm going to help your mother in the kitchen.' Liam told his son and walked away. When he entered the kitchen, Jean turned to him.

'So, did he found them?'

'Not yet.' Jean sighed.

'Though, as a detective, he's not bad. Just need more polishing.'

'I see...I hope Lyserg could find them...'

**'I doubt Lyserg would be able to find Hao that way. Judging from my experience with him, that guy would have probably done something about it already.' **Liam thought to himself.

* * *

Haruka, Karin, Shiro and Hao are currently ice skating at the backyard of the shrine.

'Wahhhh!' Shiro slipped and fell. Everyone who was watching him couldn't help but laugh at him.

'Argh! Why is it so slippery!'

'That's the beautiful part of watching you doing something for the first time Shiro.' Hao laughed as Shiro slipped and fell again. He went to help him up.

'It's actually pretty easy.'

'More like it's easy for you!' Shiro pouted and Hao smiled at him.

'Falling is part of the sport so it's natural that this will happen. Especially on the first try.'

**'You didn't even fall for once since we started...'**

'You see...Skating on ice is pretty much like gliding on a slippery floor. The only difference is that the skates cut into the ice instead of gliding on top of it.'

'Gee thanks...'

**'Like that will help...' **Shiro sighed and try skating again but failed as he fell once again.

'I can't teach her how to skate this way...' Shiro sighed as they all went towards him and began skating in a circle around him.

'Get on your hands and knees and place one foot between your hands. Repeat with your other foot and lift up until you are standing again.' Hao said.

'Start by holding your arms out at just below shoulder level to learn to balance yourself. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward, not back.' Haruka continued.

'When moving on the ice, do not stiffen your body. It actually makes skating harder. Keep your body loose and relaxed and you will find it much easier to glide.' Karin added.

'Bend Your Knees. Knees should be bent enough so that you can't see your toes and your shoulders should be forward and above your knees. Stability is greatly increased and you will not fall backwards as much when learning.' Hao said.

Shiro did as told and slowly but surely he was beginning to skate more properly. He skate towards a five year old girl who had been watching them from the beginning and reached out his hands. The girl looked up at him angrily.

'Where's my one hour bonus?'

'I'll give it to you once I recovered fully.'

'You said you were going to let me use you after we left the aquarium! Yet, just look at me! I'm in the body of a five year old girl!' He knelt down and stared at her for long moments. Then, he smiled.

'I think you looked just fine.'

'Don't try and bribe me with your compliments!'

'Well, I'm not really one to bribe but if that's what you think...' He carried her up.

'Let me go! I want my one hour bonus! I want my one hour bonus!' She began hitting him but it didn't seem to affect him in anyway.

'Sigh...you're so impatient. Can't you at least wait and use that body to it's fullest for a while Emily?' the girl became stunned.

'H-How did you know my name?'

* * *

'Lyserg, now's the time for lunch. Put your pendulum away.'

'Sorry mom.' Lyserg sighed tiredly and lowered his pendulum.

'Sorry for causing you so much problems Lyserg-kun.'

'It's fine Mrs. Asakura. Plus, thanks to you I could polish my dowsing skills since I haven't been training very often lately. Though I just don't understand...why can't I find him?' he turned to the living room and saw morphine's cage. He suddenly stood up startling everyone.

'I got it!'

* * *

Everyone had stopped skating around a while ago and right now, they were sitting on the verandah watching the sky other than Emily who was sleeping on Shiro's lap. Hao turned to Shiro who was staring at the sky. He seemed to be at peace.

'Shiro?'

'What is it Aniki?'

'Mind if I ask why do you want us to play ice skating before?' Karin and Haruka turned to Shiro as they were also curious of why he would be doing something like that. Shiro smiled wistfully as he looked down at the girl sleeping on his lap.

'I saw it.' That only confused them more.

'Umm...what exactly have you seen?' Haruka asked. Shiro turned to them.

'Her memories...'

'That's not possible. I already made sure your reishi are properly sealed a while ago. You shouldn't be able to see other people's memories by now.' Hao said slightly incredulous.

'I know...but I think it might have something to do with her possessing me before since I only saw it when she was still within me.' everything turned silent for a moment.

'What did you see?' Shiro looked down on the floor.

'Well...I'm not fully sure of what really happened at the start...I only saw her memories when she started living with her new stepmother and stepsister.'

'A wicked one?' Karin asked and he nodded.

'What about her father?'

'At that time, her father was a jerk. He never bothered when she's being bullied by her half-sister and he always supports her half sister instead of her. Not to mention she had to do all the house chores without a single help...'

'Gosh, she must have had it rough there...'

'Yeah...and ironically, her stepmother took away her freedom and locked her up. Doesn't that sounds simply familiar?' All three of them blanched. Shiro looked down at the girl sleeping on his lap and stroked her hair. Hao couldn't really see his younger brother's expression as his face had been hidden by his long hair. Karin reached out her hand to stroke his hair and he jerked in surprise.

'Everything is fine now Yuu. It's all in the past now...' She blinked when Shiro sighed.

'It would've been nice if its all in the past now. Everything still felt so...I don't know...It is as if everything happened just the day before...' Shiro frowned.

'Nonsense. You're just dwelling on the past too much Shiro.' Everyone shifted their gaze to Hao who stood up.

'Everything will turned out just fine you worrywart. After all, we're all here for you aren't we?' Shiro blinked at his brother for a few moments and smiled.

'Yeah...'

'Anyway, from now on you should avoid using Hyoi Gattai with any spirit other than Fyra and Sephira.'

'Eh?'

'From that time your mind-reading powers just appeared I already made sure I had it properly sealed so that people's thoughts and memories could never enter your mind. Judging from the amount of power I used that seal was supposed to last for a few years at the least but the fact that you can see that girl's memory while being possessed must have meant my seal had begin to deteriorate.'

'No way...but I always stayed out of the crowded places.' Shiro gave his brother an incredulous stare.

'No, I think it's because your powers are growing at an unusually fast rate due to your...time of birth.'

'You mean it's like some sort of...power growth spurt?'

'Yeah...something like that...' Shiro sighed.

'Umm...Yuu, I would like to talk to Fuyuki for a moment. Why don't you take Emily inside while then?'

'Oh...okay...' Shiro carried up Emily and walk away but not before giving his older brother a worried glance. Once he was out of sight, Haruka took a deep breath.

'Fuyuki, I always knew you cared about Yuu more than you would to any other person in this earth and up till today you've always picked the best choice for him. However, there has been one decision you made that I felt wasn't right.' Haruka turned to Hao with a frown.

'Why won't you teach him how to control his powers?' Hao turned to him with a slightly amused look.

'What makes you think I can do something like that? It's not like I'm a psychic or somethin-'

'Don't lie. You might be able to fool your brother, but you can't fool us Fuyuki-kun.' Karin turned to look at Hao.

'We've seen your capabilities once and that was more than enough to tell us that.' She said and Hao nodded in understanding.

'I don't understand. Why won't you teach him how to control his powers and choose to seal his powers instead? Don't you think it would be better if he could use them to defend himself in battles?'

Silence...

'Fuyuki-kun, I think it's time for him to learn how to properly use them.' Hao looked up at the sky.

'He is still not ready for all this.' Haruka and Karin was utterly shocked by his answer.

'Fuyuki, what are you talking about? His powers is getting so strong to the extent your seal is deteriorating! Do you know how dangerous things are going to get if the seal is broken?'

'I'll make a new seal before that happens.'

'Fuyuki! Even if you don't teach him anything he'll just find another way to learn things. You can see it Fuyuki. All this time we have only trained him in combat fighting yet he could fly and use an oversoul. He learned that all by himself.'

'Haruka-nii is right, Yuu is not a little kid anymore Fuyuki-kun. We can't just be teaching him how to fight with a sword all the time...' Hao didn't reply. Instead he turned to a particular direction as if sensing something.

* * *

Lyserg walked out of his room and down to the living room with a map on his hand.

'Why are you taking out a map Lyserg?' Manta asked.

'Since I can't find him using the pendulum itself, I might as well use some help from the map. When I was young, I remembered that I found my birthday present dad gave me by using this method. That's why this time, I'll definitely track them down for sure!' He turned to them with a confident look. He opened the map showing the location of Japan and placed his pendulum on the map. Surprisingly, the pendulum move and pointed at a particular direction.

'Found it!' Lyserg exclaimed and Yoh, Manta and Keiko immediately went and stare which placed the pendulum was pointing on the map. Meanwhile, Liam and Jean who was watching smiled at each other feeling very proud of their son. Lyserg stared at location pointed in the map.

'A forest?'

'That's right! The shrine! Why didn't I think of it?' Manta and Yoh said simultaneously as they remembered suddenly.

'Shrine? What shrine?'

'Shiro and Hao lived in a shrine deep inside that forest. The reason it could not be located by Tamao and Lyserg before is because Hao had cast many spells on the area to neutralize shamanic powers and avoid it from being trespassed or found.'

'Come on! Let's go already!'

'Wait, I'll come with you guys.' Lyserg said.

* * *

Shiro opened his wardrobe and took out a classic locket before closing the sliding door of the wardrobe and sitting on the floor. As he stared at the locket a smile creased his lips as he remembered how he had bugged his older brother to let him buy this locket when he first saw it in an antique shop in America. At first his brother adamantly refused but after lots and lots of pleading he gave in. He opened the locket and it began to play the orgol version of a particular song. He closed his eyes and focused only on listening to the song. When the song finished, he closed the locket and took a long deep breath feeling more refreshed. He kept it back in its original position.

'Alright then! Time for training!' he grabbed his katana and went out of his room. Unknown to him, Emily who was previously sleeping on his bed had been awakened by the sound of his locket music. She climbed out of the bed and went out of the room.

* * *

'You know what? I think we should go look for Shiro now. I get worried whenever he's alone. That boy has an unnatural propensity for being where there's trouble...'

'_Sigh_...I guess you're right.' the three stood up.

'I hope you could consider about what we've said Fuyuki.' the said boy thought for a moment before giving him a silent nod.

* * *

Shiro stood in a defensive position as Luchist's angel Lucifer charged towards him. The angel launched an attack and Shiro jumped out of the way and launched an attack in midair before landing gracefully a few meters in ahead. Lucifer split into half and dissipated. Shiro turned to look at Luchist.

'So, what do you think of it Luchist?'

'You've gotten better Shiro-sama.'

'Yay! Shiro-sama is amazing!' Opacho cheered. Shiro shook his head.

'I'm not all that amazing. I still have a long way to go Opacho.'

'But Shiro-sama is still amazing!' Shiro gave her a smile and coincidentally saw Emily peeking from behind the tree. Emily quickly hid herself. Shiro was about to call her when he sensed the presence of someone familiar. He darted to the left successfully evading a massive rock coming his way. He turned and saw the culprit flying in midair.

'Fumiya! What's the meaning of this?' the man lifted up his hands and a few large rocks were lifted up from the ground. He pointed at Shiro and the rocks all charged towards him. Shiro dashed away and the rocks chased after him. He pulled out a pendant an read an incantation. Fyra and Sephira appeared in the form of an adult and the two destroyed the rocks with little difficulty.

**'Fyra, Sephira, I'm counting on you.' **he thought to the two spirits and then carried Emily and Opacho before running away from the place.

'Trying to run?' Fumiya lifted his hand and many more rocks were lifted up from the ground this time. The stones barged towards both Fyra and Sephira. While they were busy destroying the stones, Fumiya flew towards Shiro and stopped in front of him before launching an attack sending him flying high in the air.

'SHIROOO!' Opacho and Emily who had been shoved away just before the attack screamed as Fumiya launched another attack towards him. Shiro turned and sliced the rock into two before flying towards Fumiya with his katana readied in his hands.

'Austere slash!' Shiro attacked another stone coming his way and the stone shattered into small pieces. Fumiya flew up and Shiro who was flying towards him flew up following him. Fumiya stopped at one moment and their swords clashed producing a huge explosion which covered them in smoke. Fyra and Sephira who were busy with the rocks glanced up to see if their master was alright. Suddenly, Fumiya flew out of the smoke followed by Shiro who appeared unharmed. Fumiya summoned more rocks from the ground and used them to attack Shiro. Shiro darted left and right evading all the stones coming his way. Much to his surprise, the stones halted and change it's course of direction before chasing after him.

'You can't win just by defending Yuu!' Shiro blinked in surprise. Fumiya who was ahead lifted more stones and used it to attack Shiro. Shiro flew straight up and the stones collided against each other and shattered producing another explosion in the air. He lowered himself onto the ground a few meters ahead from Fumiya.

'The gem is not here if that's what you're looking for.'

'Oh...I'm not here for that today.' Shiro was stunned.

'I'm here...for you.' the next thing Shiro knew another person appeared and attacked him sending him a few meters away. He looked up and glared at the person who attacked him.

'You again...Asahi!' the said man smiled maniacally.

'We met again Shiro Asakura!' Shiro was taken aback by his words. However, he didn't have the time to think about it as Asahi and Fumiya ran towards him in a zig-zag pattern and swung their swords at him. Surprisingly, this time he dodged them with ease and using his bare hands he punched them both hard in the stomach sending them a few meters away. He picked up the sword he had previously thrown on the floor and remained rooted on the spot as the two stood up. Both Asahi and Fumiya winced as they clutched their stomach.

'You're good.' the two said simultaneously and readied themselves. Shiro stood in a defensive position ready to take on whatever they are going to throw at him.

'Shiro-nii!' Yoh called out and Shiro lost his complete focus. Fumiya took the opportunity to distract him by flying up to the sky. Shiro looked up and prepared his sword.

'SHIRO-NII! WATCH OUT!' Asahi's sword grazed his waist. As he defended another blow from Asahi, Fumiya flew towards him from behind and would have attacked Shiro if Yoh and Lyserg had not defended him.

'Shiro!' Fumiya and Asahi saw Hao, Haruka, Karin, Luchist, Opacho and Emily running towards them. Apparently, Luchist have sought for help. They quickly withdraw from their position.

'Wait! Asahi! Fumiya!' Shiro was about to chase after them but his injured waist prevented him.

'Hold still, how far do you think you can run with that wound?' Haruka sighed as he wrapped his wound with his scarf.

'Shiro, are you alright?' Shiro nodded. Hao had his arms wrapped protectively around Shiro who had his head leaned against his shoulder. Yoh rushed towards him. His brother looked a bit pale. He turned to Hao.

'Let's bring him to Faust.'

With that being said, they brought Shiro back to Funbari Onsen. Once they arrived at the inn, Shiro was quickly taken to a vacant room where Faust began to clean his wounds and do some check up on him. Yoh on the other hand was quickly dragged away for training thanks to Anna. While Faust was checking up on Shiro's wound, Hao poured out the medicine into a spoon and held it out to Shiro who stared at the medicine in disgust.

'Aniki...can I not take my medicine?' he gave him a pleading look.

'No.' Hao replied flatly.

'But my fever's gone already!' Shiro pouted.

'No.' Hao's voice was stern and Shiro sighed before reluctantly taking the medicine.

'Please don't make me eat this weird stuff again...It's gets even more gross every time I ate them.' Hao raised an eyebrow.

'I don't remember giving you any of these as far as I can remember.'

'Well, that doesn't mean other people didn't!' Hao smiled.

'Next time, I'll remind Hinako-sensei to give you tablets instead of liquid ones alright?' Shiro gave him an odd look.

'Tablets?'

'It's a medicinal formulation made of a compressed powdered substance containing an active drug and excipients.' Faust explained.

'Oh...'

'It comes normally in the form of pills or capsules and it is intended to be swallowed whole.' Haruka continued.

'SWALLOWED WHOLE?' Shiro began to have some second thoughts.

'Don't worry, they come in small sizes so you won't choke on it.' Hao added.

'I-I see...' Shiro sweat dropped. He turned when he felt someone staring and the ones that are peeking through the door (the Asakura's and the X-Laws) lost their balance and fell down on the floor. Hao smiled amusingly.

'Well well...if it isn't the X-Laws and my beloved family...'

'Say...Aren't you all a little bit too old to be peeking through the doors?' Haruka commented.

'Well, to them Aniki doesn't seem like someone who is caring so I'm not very surprised you know...' Shiro shrugged.

'I guess by now it's pretty clear that Fuyuki-kun mellowed since Yuu came into his life.' Karin said smiling.

'Strange...I've been getting that a lot lately.'

'Well, it is an undeniable fact.' Lyserg told the fire shaman. They turned when they noticed Keiko walking towards Shiro who was sitting upright on the bed and sat down on the bedside.

'How are you feeling Shiro?'

'My fever's gone now. Thanks for taking care of me before..K-Kaa-san...' Shiro said shyly. Keiko smiled happily while the others couldn't believe what they had heard. Much to everyone's surprise, Hao smiled as well. Of course, they knew Yohmei and Mikihisa weren't going to buy it.

'By the way, what happened Shiro? Why are those guys attacking you?' Lyserg asked as the incident suddenly came into his mind.

'Truthfully I wasn't really sure as to why they attacked me either. I was just having a brief training with Luchist at that time. Maybe they're just plain brainless.'

'Or maybe...they mistook you as Hao.' Hao shoot Yohmei a murderous glare.

'For your information, the one who attacked Shiro was named Fumiya and Asahi. I think Fumiya should be able to differentiate between Shiro and myself pretty easily.' Yohmei blanched at the mention of their names and Hao smirked. Shiro blinked.

'Now that you mentioned it...its strange.' everyone focused their attention to Shiro.

'Asahi had mistook me as Hao during our first meeting but at that time, Asahi called me Shiro which means he already KNEW I wasn't Hao. Who could've possibly told him something like that? Judging from my experience with Fumiya, Kotone and Akane, they definitely weren't the types who'll talk about trivial things like that. Could it be that...you've met Asahi before Aniki?'

'Yeah...their respective fighting technique really worked well with each other don't you think?' Shiro nodded as his expression turned serious.

'As you look up the sky, you get hit from the ground. As you look at the ground, you get hit from the sky.' Shiro said.

'However, combination like these are only effective when going against one person.' Haruka continued.

'Which explains why they retreated as soon as we arrived.' Karin added.

'Though...to be attacking Yuu out of all people...its kind of pathetic you know...' Haruka scratched his head.

'WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?' Shiro glared at Haruka slightly irritated.

'Hora hora, you're having a high fever's that's not even fully recovered yet. In a sense, they're attacking you while you're out of commission which...you know...cowards usually do.' Shiro stopped glaring at him but Karin could tell that he wasn't fully convinced by Haruka's answer.

Out of the corner of Shiro's eyes, he saw Yohmei, Kino, and Mikihisa slowly slipping out of the room and a few moments later he saw Hao slipping out of the room. He glanced at Haruka and Karin with a look before giving out a yawn.

'I'm tired guys. Why don't we talk about things some other time later?'

'Sure. Let's go then.' all of them went out of the room. Once they were gone, Shiro sighed worriedly. Right now, he was just hoping that nothing bad is going to happen.

* * *

'FUMIYA! ASAHI! WHERE ARE YOU!' Yohmei yelled angrily and his voice echoed around the isolated building. Kino and Mikihisa remained quiet as they stood beside him. Fumiya appeared out of nowhere and Asahi jumped down from above.

'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! I ASKED YOU BOTH TO CLAIM MY GRANDSON FROM THAT DEMON NOT INJURE HIM!' Yohmei exploded.

'Well, you did say 'bring him back at all costs' so we are just doing it according to what you said.' Yohmei was stunned by Asahi's words.

'Plus, he did return didn't he? heh...I'll be surprised if he didn't. After all, his fever hasn't gone down yet.' Asahi laughed maniacally.

'So the culprit was you after all...heh...just as I thought.' all of them turned to the source of voice.

'HAO ASAKURA! HOW NICE TO SEE YOU! COME AND FIGHT ME SO THAT I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT! BWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!' Hao smiled and shook his head.

'You're as insane as the last time I've met you Asahi. Though...' Spirit of fire appeared and before Asahi could even react Spirit of fire stepped on him with his left leg. Yohmei, Kino, Mikihisa, and Fumiya walked a few steps back. Hao smirked.

'At that time when you were able injure me so badly is because you used an enchantment to drain my powers. Because of that not only I couldn't attempt to summon my Spirit of Fire, my reflexes itself slowed down out of exhaustion. Of course, the bad stuff comes with the good stuff. Thanks to you, my furyoku recovered faster than it should be after that near death incident.'

'In that case...I can fight you without holding back.'

'Not a chance Fumiya-kun! RIGID WIND!'

'DIRE STORM!' Fumiya flew backwards and darted to the left successfully evading the attacks coming from above. Yohmei looked up and saw Haruka and Karin flying towards them. They lowered themselves to the ground and stood beside Hao.

'You alright?'

'Of course, who do you think I am?'

'Geez...even though we went through all the trouble to come here Fuyuki-kun...'

'FUMIYA WAIT! I'M NOT DONE TALKING YET!' Fumiya ignored Yohmei and flew away while Asahi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Yohmei froze as he could feel the three teenagers glaring at him even though his back was facing them. He turned to them.

'What are you looking at?'

'Bring Shiro back at all costs? What the hell was that?' Haruka scoffed.

'That's none of your concern.'

'NONE OF MY CONCERN?' Hao stopped Haruka. Then, much to everyone's surprise, he dissolved his oversoul.

'Let's just go Haruka, Karin.' There were silence for a brief moment as he turned and walked away from the three Asakuras. Haruka and Karin glared at them before going after Hao.

* * *

'Fuyuki! Why didn't you say anything? They are the ones who caused both you and Yuu to get hurt!' Haruka said as they walked across the street.

'It's fultile talking with them. They won't listen no matter what we said.'

'Even so, everything has its limit! To hate you to the extent of hiring people to kill you...they're going way too far!'

'Haruka's right! I can't believe they were the ones behind all those things! Why didn't you tell us?' Hao sighed.

'Even if I tell you there wouldn't be that much of a change in any way.'

'What are you talking about Fuyuki?' Hao sighed again.

'If I were to tell you back then Haruka, you'll undoubtedly find a way to seek revenge out of rage. Also, what better method of revenge could you use other than making Shiro distance himself further away from them?' The two seemed to get his point.

'Don't forget, Shiro had not recovered completely. If I were to tell him the truth it would only invite even more problems. Not only for myself, but for him as well. That's why, keep this a secret from Shiro.' Haruka crossed his arms over his chest clearly dissatisfied with his decision.

'It's not fair! Why do they get to do all the bad stuff!' He grumbled. Hao smiled and looked up the sky.

'Life had always been unfair Haruka...'

* * *

Shiro was sitting on top of the roof watching the snow as usual when he felt someone walking towards him.

'Shiro, you shouldn't be outside of the inn.' Shiro turned and saw his mother holding a towel on her hands. She used the towel to dry off his damp hair.

'At least, not when you just finished taking a shower a few minutes ago.' Keiko smiled gently.

'It's fine Kaa-san. My fevers gone down already. Also, it's too boring to be lying on the bed when its snowing.' Shiro continued to watch as the snowflakes slowly fell down from the sky.

'Shiro-dono, Anna-dono and Yoh-dono is looking for you.' Shiro blinked at the spirit.

'Say...Didn't Anna locked you up in the mortuary tablet Amidamaru? How'd you get out?'

'W-Well, Anna-dono was training Yoh-dono so-'

'She wouldn't let him slack off?' Amidamaru nodded. Shiro sighed and stood up before dusting his clothes.

'Yoh sure have one troublesome fiancée with her...' Shiro turned and took the towel from Keiko.

'I'll see you later then...thanks again, Kaa-san.' he flew down from the roof and used the towel to dry his hair.

'You're late!' Anna said coldly while Yoh was doing push up in the backyard. Tamao was there as well.

'So, is there anything I can help you with?' She held up a long list.

'Today we will be having a lot of guests. I want you to go get the groceries and then help Ryu in the kitchen.'

'A-Anna...don't you think that's a bit too much? Shiro-nii's still having fever and he's injured you know...' Anna shot him a withering glare and Yoh cringed in fear.

'Fine. Tamao! You're going to help!'

'W-What? M-M-Me?' Tamao pointed at herself.

'NO WAY!' Ponchi and Konchi exclaimed. Anna caught the two in her hands.

'You have a problem with that?' Anna asked dangerously.

'N-N-N-No! O-O-Of course not!' the two choked out.

'It's fine if she doesn't want to come. I'll just get someone else to help.' he turned and walked away.

'W-Wait!' Shiro stopped in his tracks and turned to the pink haired girl who walked towards him.

'I-I-I'll come with you...' she stuttered.

* * *

Shiro and Tamao walked across the snowy street in silence while holding the grocery bags. Shiro turned to the nervous girl.

'You know...' Tamao jerked at Shiro's voice. He sighed.

'Relax, I'm not going to eat you. I'm just trying to say that you don't have to accompany me if you don't want to. I don't mind doing this alone.' He looked around the place and saw a hot chocolate stall not too far away.

'Say...Tamamura, would you like to have some hot chocolate?' Tamao shook her head vigorously.

'I-I-I-I-I can't! A-A-A-Anna-sama would be angry if she knew!'

'So be it. It's winter. It's cold. It's normal for us to get something warm when we're out of the house. Plus, I'm not using her money.' Shiro took her hands and walked towards the stall. Tamao blushed furiously.

'Hello. How may I help you?' a friendly old lady greeted the two.

'Can we have two cups of hot chocolate please?' Shiro asked.

'Here you go.' she passed him two cups of hot chocolate. Tamao took a sip...

'I-It's hot!' The old lady let out a small laugh.

'It wouldn't have been called hot chocolate if it isn't hot.' she told Tamao.

'Sigh...I'll deal with her if anything happens so just forget about that Okami and take your time to enjoy it alright?' He took a small sip from his mug of hot chocolate and blinked.

'This hot chocolate is good. How'd you make it obaa-san?' Shiro asked and the old lady smiled.

'Child...you don't really expect me to give away my recipes do you?'

'Oh...you're right. Sorry about that.' he shook his head and grinned sheepishly. That was when Tamao realized how similar Shiro was to Yoh when he was smiling. She blushed at the thought of Yoh.

'Sigh...It would have been nice if my Aniki was here. I'm sure he would love it.' he said while smiling.

'Then why don't you come again some other time? I'll give you a treat when you do.'

'Really?' the old lady nodded.

'Thanks obaa-san!'

'Ummm...S-Shiro-kun...I-I-I think we should go...' Tamao said.

'Oh yeah...I almost forgot.' He finished up his hot chocolate and passed back the mug to the old lady.

'Thanks for the hot chocolate obaa-san!' Shiro gave a bow before waving goodbye. Tamao did the same.

While they were both walking home, Tamao noticed that Shiro's previously monotonous expression had been replaced by an expression of childish joy which reminded her of Yoh and made her less nervous being with him. A few moments later, they arrived at the inn.

'We're home.'

'You're late!' Shiro was surprised it was Hao who said that. Tamao meanwhile cringed in fear and hid behind Shiro.

'Where were you Yuu! You're supposed to be staying in bed!' Haruka told the boy. He was with Hao at the moment.

'Sorry Aniki, we sort of got carried away a little...By the way, Aniki, Tamao and I was having some really good hot chocolate at a stall just now. Let's go and try it some other time together. After all, the obaa-san there promised to give me a treat if I go there next time...' Shiro smiled and Hao blinked.

**'He seems strangely happy today...Hmm...guess I'll let it slide this time...' **Hao thought to himself.**  
**

'If that's what you want alright then...' the fire shaman said and Shiro smiled.

'Anyway come on, we're going home.' Hao said.

'Eh? But I haven't pack some of my stuff yet.' Shiro told him.

'I already packed them and brought them home before you returned.' Hao replied.

'Oh...But what about the groceries?'

'You're late!' Anna arrived just then. The Hanagumi was with her. Haruka took the grocery bags from Shiro and passed it to Mari.

'Here you go. We're leaving.' Haruka and Hao took Shiro by the hand and walked out of the house.

'HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!' Yohmei shouted and Haruka glared murderously at him.

'You don't have the right to know.' Shiro noticed that Haruka's tone of voice was strangely colder than usual.

'Haruka...' the said boy blinked and turned to him.

'Is everything alright?' Haruka was silent for a few moments.

'It's fine. Everything is just...fine.' Shiro was not convinced.

'Anyway, let's go.'

'HEY! GET BACK HERE!'

'Just ignore him and-'

'GET DOWN!' Karin who appeared out of nowhere exclaimed and pulled the three down together with her successfully avoiding Imari and Shigaraki coming their way.

'What on earth-'

'Let's hurry Shiro!' Hao and Haruka took his hand and ran away. Karin followed from behind.

'ANNA!'

'Yes, Yohmei-sama. Time to really show your stuff Hanagumi.' She took out her 1080 beads and turned to the three who nodded.

'Aniki, what's going on? Why are they attacking us?'

'Jack!'

'Chuck!'

'Ashcroft!'

'Oversoul!' the three exclaimed in unison.

'Are they really serious about this?' Shiro said incredulously as he was looking back at the direction of the inn. They stopped in their tracks and turned to them knowing the only way to escape is to fight them. Haruka and Karin stood in front of Shiro and Hao as the fire shaman protectively wrapped his arms around his younger sibling surprising him.

'Aniki? What's going on?' Shiro was really getting confused here.

'Well...Haruka, Karin and I kind of had a little argument with them.'

'EH?'

'I'll explain everything later. For now, hold still.' Shiro wanted to ask him questions but he decided it's best to save it for later. He sighed and leaned his head onto Hao's chest.

'You still enjoyed pissing off your opponent during a fight huh?' Shiro muttered.

'Yeap.' Hao smirked as he watched Yohmei clenched his fists. Shiro however was more focused on the fight that was taking place in front of him. Karin had went against Anna by herself as the Hanagumi fought with Haruka. It worries him whenever Karin was fighting because due to her parents way of upbringing, Karin's skill was pretty far behind Yukino who was way too used to fighting. Not to mention she was going against that merciless woman who was a soon-to-be Asakura. Just then, Karin's leg got tangled in between Anna's beads causing her to lose balance and fell. Haruka wanted to help her sister but his hands are full at the moment.

Truthfully, Shiro wanted to lend them a small hand but he wasn't sure if his brother would be happy if he were to interfere with a fight that surely did not involve him. Plus, it's just a small fight right? At least, that's what he told himself. Somehow, Shiro began to wonder what exactly had happened as the intensity of the fight was beginning to increase and both sides weren't showing signs of halting any time soon.

'Aniki, are you sure it's okay to leave them like this? I mean...Karin and Haruka might get hurt you know...'

'Come on, what could happen?'

'CHUCK!' Mari exclaimed and the doll released a few shots. Haruka bent down to avoid them this time and the doll would've accidentally shot Tamao had Shiro not defended her.

A bluish aura radiated from him and Haruka, Karin and Hao cringed in fear knowing what was coming.

'All of you...ON YOUR KNEES!' his voice rose until the last few words came out as a furious roar.

* * *

Yoh, Lyserg and Ryu gapped at the scene displayed in front of them. Faust and Keiko meanwhile smiled in amusement.

'What's going on?' Kino asked as she couldn't see what was going on and that they were strangely too silent.

'Umm...well, Jii-chan, Tou-chan, Anna, Mari, Macchi, Kanna, Haruka, Karin and Hao-nii were kneeling on the ground in front of Shiro-nii and Tamao-chan...' Yoh said awkwardly. All of them fidgeted as they reluctantly knelt on the ground (except for Tamao). Kino smiled and shook her head.

'Guess the youngest one can be even more matured than the elderly at times...'

'Listen and listen well! I don't care if you all have disagreements and could not get along well with each other but as long as I am around, I will NOT tolerate any unnecessary fights like this AGAIN! APOLOGIZE TO EACH OTHER AND TO TAMAO!' Tamao was surprised when he mentioned her name but she didn't say anything.

'W-We're sorry...' all of them said in unison.

'Why the hell are we doing this?' Anna muttered to Hao.

'You see, Shiro is very disciplined and obedient and all but whenever he snaps, he just gets like this. Probably a personality disorder I guess...' Haruka replied on Hao's behalf.

'Truthfully, I never would have thought this thing would ever happen to me though.' Hao sighed.

'Me neither.' Karin sighed as well.

'I can't believe I'm being scolded by my own grandson...' Yohmei grumbled.

'I can't believe I'm being scolded by my own son...' Mikihisa grumbled.

'Shiro-sama was even scarier than Hao-sama...' Macchi said and both Kanna and Mari nodded in agreeement.

'YOU ARE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY ENOUGH! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO APOLOGIZE, BOW ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES!'

'WHAT?' Shiro shot them an angry look that even Hao himself had ever seen before and everyone quickly did as told. Yoh, Faust and Ryu were sweating nervously as the way the boy ordered them reminded them of a certain itako.

'Sorry for the intrusion.' Manta slide open the door was stupefied for a moment.

'What in the world...' Manta blanched when he saw Shiro's irritated expression. Shiro sighed.

'You may stand up.' All of them stood up almost immediately.

'Anyway, it would be nice if you would just calm down and talk with each other if anything happens again next time.'

'Calm down and talk with that old man who attacked us first for no reason?' Haruka snorted.

'What did you say you runt!' Yohmei glared at Haruka who gave him a challenging look.

'ANYWAY, IT WOULD BE VERY PLEASING IF YOU ALL WOULD COOL DOWN!' Shiro said angrily before a fight could erupt once more. Everyone was silent again. Shiro took a deep breath.

'If you calm yourselves, you should be able to speak with each other properly. You're all older in terms of age so it should be easy.' Shiro's voice was much calmer this time.

'Easy? Easy my foot.' Haruka muttered to no one in particular and the next thing he knew Kouki and Zenki are trampling on him.

'I assume you're also mature enough to know that sheer force won't help in anyway other than hurting the people around you. After all, you've all seen what nearly happened to Tamamura correct? ' all of them remained quiet.

'Well, that's all I have to say for today. I hope these things won't be happening again anytime soon or I won't hesitate to make you kneel for one whole day. Are we clear about that?'

'Yes...' all of them answered and went back to their work. Shiro dismissed Kouki and Zenki and the now free Haruka instantly stood up.

'Haruka, come with me.' he told him and they went into the tea room. Of course, Shiro summoned Kouki and Zenki to guard the door.

When they got in, Shiro shot Haruka a look.

'Haruka, are you feeling unwell today?'

'Uhh...no. Why?'

'It's nothing. It's just that you seemed strangely agitated today Haruka. Did something happened?'

'O-Of course not! I'm perfectly fine!'

'Really?' Shiro gave him a scrutinizing look.

'Y-Yeah...' Haruka said nervously and Shiro sighed.

'Something did happened didn't it?'

'YES! I mean NO! I mean...Well...I...uhh...' Shiro placed his hand on his friends shoulder.

'Haruka, just don't push yourself alright?' Haruka blinked.

'What?'

'I heard that you got into an argument with your father again this morning. I know he is harsh and all but don't vent out your anger on others okay?'

'Umm...okay?' Shiro smiled at him.

'Next time when you got into an argument again Haruka, come and find me. We can talk about it and I'll make you something nice to eat.' Haruka smiled at him.

'Sometimes I really wonder whose the older one between us you know...'

'Does it matters?' Haruka's smile widens and he ruffled his hair.

After a while, they went out of the room and Karin and Hao quickly drag Haruka away from Shiro and they went to the corner of the room.

'What did he tell you?' Hao asked with a small tinge of nervousness in his voice.

'Nothing much actually...he knew that I got into an argument with dad today so he just asked me not to be so hard on myself and that I should talk to him next time when I'm upset or something. All in all he just asked me not to push myself.'

'I see...you didn't happen to tell him about _that_ right?' Haruka knew what he was trying to say.

'As much as I wanted to do it...I can't.' Hao sighed in relief.

'Thanks Haruka. It must've been hard on you.'

'Hey guys! What are you chatting about?' Shiro who had just sneak up on them interrupted out of the blue and the three jumped.

'Y-YOU NEARLY SCARED US HALF TO DEATH!' the three exclaimed simultaneously and startled the younger boy to the verge he fell down on the floor. He stared at them utterly shocked.

'Oh my gosh we're so sorry! W-We didn't mean to do that!' Karin said quickly when she realized what they had done.

'Y-Yeah...are you alright?' Haruka helped him up.

'I'm fine. The question is...are you guys alright? You've been acting kind of strange you know?' Shiro told them as they had never reacted that way whenever he did that. Normally, they would have smiled and said 'nice try' or they would have told him 'don't even think about it' even before he spoke. He was sure they were hiding something from him. He didn't know why but somehow, he noticed that everyone seems to be hiding things from him. Not just Hao and his friends, but Yohmei, Kino, Mikihisa and Anna too. Of course, he wasn't going to say anything about it knowing that he would only make things worse by doing so. That's why, he would have to wait patiently until the day they were all ready to tell him everything which is definitely not going to happen any time soon.

Hao, Haruka, and Karin on the other hand glanced at each other nervously. They have pretty much given themselves away a few moments ago so it was obvious that Shiro knew they were hiding things from him but at the same time, that telling him the truth was NOT exactly the best idea. They wanted to distract him away from this topic and talk about something else but none of them know how to do it. Therefore, all they did was stare at Shiro who merely stared at them back.

Finally, Shiro let out a sigh. This is nothing but a waste of time. He really wanted to try digging out some information but obviously they're not ones that would easily give things away just like that. Guess it would be best for him to hold back his curiosity every now and then. He turned away from them.

'I'm going to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Ryu, mind to lend me a hand?'

'Y-YES SIR!' Ryu saluted and Shiro gave him a blank look.

'What are you doing?'

'He's giving a salute.' Hao explained.

'Sa...lute?' Shiro tilted his head to one side.

'It's a gesture that is used to display respect to people.' Haruka added and Shiro blinked.

'Why would you do that?' Shiro stared at Ryu questioningly.

'He's showing signs of respect for what you managed to do a few minutes ago.' Karin continued on Hao's behalf.

'Ohhhh...'

**[ 'But Aniki...if salutes are for showing signs of respect...how come I don't need to salute to you Aniki?' ] ** Hao smiled. Shiro really is a child after all... .

**[ 'There are many ways to salute Yuu. Not just one. Also, you salute to me all the time. You just didn't know it.' ]**

'Why are you all explaining this to him as if he doesn't know anything? Don't you think he already knows?' Lyserg asked finally after being silent for so long. Everyone had the same question in their minds. Hao, Haruka and Karin shot him a glare. Somehow realization seemed to dawn upon them.

'S-Shiro-san...you really don't know what salutes are for do you?'

_SLAM!_

Shiro stormed out of the room and out of the house. Hao and Yoh went after him. Haruka sighed.

'Nice going Mr. Sherlock Holmes! You just solved a big mystery!' Haruka said coldly.

* * *

The sun had already set by the time Lyserg went home.

'I'm home...'

'Welcome home Lyserg...' Liam and Jean blinked at their son. They walked towards him and sat beside him on the couch.

'What's wrong Lyserg? It's not like you to look so...troubled.' Liam asked. Lyserg sighed.

'Dad, what would you do if you said something hurtful to someone without knowing it?' Liam raised an eyebrow. Lyserg began to explain what happened at the inn.

'I see...So that's what happened...'

'I have to admit I'm pretty surprised that he didn't know anything about salutes though...he is a very polite child after all...' Jean told his son who blinked.

'Mom, do you happen to know him?'

'Of course we do. After all, he was the one who revived us back then.' Lyserg stared at his parents disbelievingly. How could someone who had no idea what on earth a salute is could revive people from the dead? Liam knew what he was thinking and sighed.

'It's not that he doesn't know this because he wanted to Lyserg. He just doesn't have the time to increase his vocabulary range. After all...his older brother was the great Asakura Hao right?' Lyserg gasped.

'Argh! I'm so stupid! Why didn't I thought of that before!'

'Humans aren't perfect Lyserg. There are always times when we make mistakes.'

'You're father's right Lyserg. For now, the least you can do is to apologize to him.'

'I guess you're right mom...But what if he doesn't want to see me?'

'I can assure you that you don't have to worry about that Lyserg. He's completely different from that brother of his.' Liam told his son and smiled.

* * *

Yoh was talking to his mother using Haruka's mobile phone informing her of his stay for the night at the shrine. He was standing at the entrance of the shrine as that was the only place in the area with phone signal.

_**'I see...Be more careful alright.'**_

'Yeah...I will Kaa-san.'

_**'Yoh?' **_

'Yeah?'

_**'Take care of Shiro for me alright?'**_ Yoh smiled.

'I will Kaa-san, you don't have to worry. Everything will definitely work out in the end. You'll see.' Yoh could sense her mother smiling through the phone.

_**'Alright then. I'll see you at the inn tomorrow. Remember to bring your brothers along alright?'**_ Yoh was sure she said 'brothers' not 'brother'.

'Okay.'

_**'I got to go now Yoh. Your grandfather is calling me.' **_

'Oh...goodbye then.'

_**'Goodbye.'**_ the phone connection was cut off. He passed the phone back to Haruka.

'Thanks Haruka.'

'You're welcome Yoh. Anyway, I'd better get home now. It's getting really late and I have a pretty bad feeling about the weather today.' he stared at the sky where the snowflakes continued to fall.

'I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.' Haruka nodded.

'Please take good care of Yuu alright? I think what Mr. Sherlock Holmes said today kind of hurt his feelings pretty badly.'

'Don't worry Haruka-san. Everything will definitely work out in the end. You'll see.' Yoh smiled at them. They stared at him for a moment and smiled before leaving. Once they were out of sight, Yoh hurriedly went into the shrine to see if his brother was alright.

* * *

After thinking for long moments, Lyserg decided to go and apologize to Shiro.

'Lyserg, where are you going?' Liam asked when he saw him wearing his boots. Lyserg turned to his father.

'I'm going to see him.'

'I see...Good luck then.' Lyserg smiled at his father.

'I'll be going then.'

'Lyserg.' Jean called out to him and he turned.

'You forgot your coat.'

'Thanks mom.' He took the coat her mother passed to him.

'Be careful alright? The weather doesn't look very good today.'

'I will mom. I'll be going then.'

'Come back soon alright?' Lyserg nodded and went out. Jean sighed warily.

'You don't have worry about Lyserg so much Jean. Lyserg's grown up a lot already. He'll be fine.'

'I hope so. The weather seems a bit off today.'

'True. But it doesn't really matter though. If anything bad happens he'll take care of him.' Jean smiled at his husband.

'You already had it all planned didn't you?' Liam just smiled.

'You can say that again.'

* * *

Yoh gasped as soon as he entered the dining room. Luchist, Opacho, Fyra, Sephira, Matamune and Emily who were already sitting on the table turned to him while Hao who was sitting at the head of the table continue reading his book, sipping quietly on his glass of milk.

'Whoa...is this for real?' Yoh stared at the food served on the table. They seemed really tasty and the food were decorated really nicely. It made him felt like he was having a dinner in a high class restaurant.

'Are you going to be standing there forever Yoh?' Yoh turned to Shiro and blinked. He is holding a pile of plates and was wearing chef clothing similar to Iria and Shinagawa-sensei which could only mean...

'Shiro-nii...y-you made all that?' Shiro gave him a small smile.

'Keep all this a secret from Anna alright?'

'Oh...Okay.' he said. They walked in the dining room and Yoh sat at the seat beside Hao. Shiro distributed the plates among them and Yoh realized that Shiro had prepared some extra seats.

'Shiro-nii, why are you preparing so many seats?'

'According to my prediction, we'll be having 7 guests for dinner today including you.' Hao answered.

'Who else will be coming?'

'Not gonna tell you.' Shiro and Hao replied at the same time.

'Awww...come on!'

'The second and third guest is here Shiro-sama.' Sephira interrupted.

'I see...is it okay for you to go and get him for me Sephira?' She nodded and teleported away. A few moments later she reappeared with the two guests.

'Manta! Amidamaru!'

'Sorry for the intrusion Yoh-kun, Hao-kun. Amidamaru and I were too worried about Shiro-kun so...' Manta suddenly felt someone staring at him from behind. He turned and saw Shiro staring at him with an unreadable expression. He gulped nervously. Shiro smiled at him and he visibly relaxed.

'I'm feeling better now. Thank you for your concern Oyamada.'

'Whoa...Shiro-kun, you made all these?' Manta saw the variety of food served on the table.

'Yes.'

'Cool.'

'Anyway, it seems the fourth guest is having trouble on his way Shiro.' Hao said looked up from the book he was reading.

'Would you like me to get him as well Shiro-sama?'

'Ahhh...that would be very nice of you.' Sephira disappeared. Manta took the seat beside Yoh which was opposite to Opacho. He stared at Hao who was focused on his reading.

'What are you reading Hao-kun?' the said person looked up.

'It's a book on sociology. Haruka bought it for Shiro when he was on a vacation in...where was it again?'

'New York Aniki.'

'Ah yes. New York.' Sephira reappeared again with another guest.

'Lyserg?'

'Manta? You're here too?'

'It would be a lot more easier for you to talk if you take a seat first Diethel.' Shiro interrupted and Lyserg turned to him. He wanted to said something but no words came out from his mouth. Shiro smiled.

'We'll talk about it later. For now, just enjoy the meal.' Suddenly Shiro and Hao looked up as the howling of the winds reached their ears.

'Guess the storm started already.' Shiro said.

'Well, I guess I should go and get the remaining guests before they end up being frozen in the snow.' Hao stood up.

'Thanks Aniki.' Hao smiled and disappeared in a lick of flames.

'I'm going to prepare some stuff first before I can join you for dinner. Meanwhile, I think you guys can start eating now. Apparently, the remaining guests will be slightly late.'

'Well then...itadakimasu everyone.' Luchist said.

'Itadakimasu!' everyone followed and started eating.

* * *

_Ring Ring!_

The phone rang and Jean who was washing the dishes wiped her hands clean before going to answer the phone.

'Hello?'

_**'It's been a while Mrs. Diethel.' **_Her eyes widened. She recognized that voice._**  
**_

'H-Hao?'

**_'Glad to know you remembered me Jean.'  
_**

'How could I forget the person who murdered me many years ago and revive me again?' She said. It was more to tease him than to insult him.

**_'I guess you're right...Anyway, Shiro and I just want to inform you and Liam that Lyserg will have to stay at the shrine for the night due to the snowstorm. It's that alright with you?' _**

'Well, it's not like I have a choice in this matter anyway. If I were to make Lyserg come home now he'll just get blown away by the storm.' Hao laughed through the phone.

**_'Anyway, just so you know, you don't have to prepare any breakfast for him tomorrow. He'll surely be having it at our place before he head home.'_**

'Fine by me.'

_**'Well, that's all for now. Bye!'**_ the phone line was disconnected before she could reply.

'Geez...that Hao...he's as impudent as ever.' Jean shook her head.

* * *

Everyone were still having their dinner when Hao returned with the remaining guests.

'Tou-san? Kaa-san? Tamao? What are you doing here?' Yoh asked as he stared at them with wide eyes.

'Well...we...uhhh...' Mikihisa scratched his head.

'Keiko wanted to see how Shiro's doing so Mikihisa accompanied her in case I tried to do something. They brought Tamao as well since they need Tamao's kokkuri to locate the shrine.' Hao answered on their behalf as he sat down at the head of the table.

'I'm really sorry for the intrusion.' Keiko said.

'It's fine. After all, I'm the one at fault here.' Shiro smiled. Keiko was relieved to see her son smiling.

'Yeah...come and have dinner with us. Shiro-nii already prepared everything for all of you.' Yoh pointed at the three empty seats and they blinked in surprise. They sat down at the seat reserved for them and Shiro passed each of them a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.

'WAIT! WHAT ABOUT US!' Konchi and Ponchi yelled as they glared at Amidamaru and Matamune who had been given food offering and also an empty seat. The next thing they knew Kouki and Zenki were trampling over them.

'The tempura was delicious Shiro.' Hao said as he took another bite.

'Really?' Shiro asked and Hao nodded.

'Opacho thinks the tamagoyaki is better!' Opacho chirped.

'Me too.' Sephira said.

'I like the tempura more.' Fyra said.

'I think both are good.' Luchist said.

The guests stare at them and sweat dropped as they talked with each other as if nothing had happened a few moments ago.

'Shiro-kun, can I have a second helping please?' Manta asked.

'Sure.' Manta passed his bowl to Yoh who passed his bowl to Shiro.

**['You returned pretty late with the guests today. Did you got into some problems with them?']** Shiro thought to his brother as he passed Yoh the second bowl of rice.

**['Sort of.'] **Hao glanced briefly at him.**  
**

**['Let me guess Aniki, they got lost in the other forest?]'**

**['Yeap, and guess what? Even with that snowstorm outside it took me almost half an hour to convince them to come to the shrine with me...'] **Hao continued eating.

**['Even up till now he's still worried about something like that? Well...not that it matters anyway.']** Shiro continued eating quietly.

Once they were done eating, everyone helped to clean up the table while Shiro and Yoh washed the dish in the kitchen. Lyserg placed another pile of dirty dish beside the sink.

'Thanks.' Shiro and Yoh said at the same time. Lyserg fidgeted.

'Umm...Shiro, I'm really sorry about what I did today...I mean...'

'It's fine. I get what you're trying to say. Plus, its my own fault for not knowing things like that.' Shiro shrugged.

'No, it's not your fault! I should have been a little bit more considerate when I said those things. I mean...nobody is perfect!' Shiro smiled at him.

'Thanks. Your words meant a lot to me.' Shiro continued washing his dish while Lyserg stared at him with a blank look. He glanced at Yoh who gave him a shrug.

* * *

Shiro could feel himself leaning against something cold, hard and damp. He opened his eyes and realized that he was leaning on the wall. He looked around the place. The place was small and everything was pitch black so he couldn't really tell much. However, there was one thing he was very sure of.

He had been here before.

It gives him a strong feeling of uneasiness suddenly knowing where he was. He brought his knees to his chest and could have sworn he heard sounds of chain being moved as he did that. He touched his wrist and was utterly shocked when he felt something metallic encasing it. The uneasiness began to turn into fear and he found himself trembling subconsciously. The door opened slowly provoking a screeching sound that made his body to flinch. He looked up to the entrance of the dark and empty room covering a little his hurting eyes due to the light entering through the door opened by an unknown person. Although Shiro could only see the outline of the person and identify the person as a woman, he knew very clearly who it was and it frightened him out of his wits. The person turned and saw him at the farthest corner of the room without windows curled up trembling with his arms wrapped around his shins and his face resting on top of his knees that was almost covered by his straight brown long bangs. She walked towards him without bothering to close the door. As she walked towards him, Shiro focused his gaze on her hand where a long whip was being held and his fear for her multiplied by many folds causing tears to form in his eyes. She stopped in front of him and lifted up the whip on her hands. Shiro brought his arms up to defend himself and closed his eyes...

Only to wind up wide awake on the futon in his room.

Shiro turned to his side and saw Fyra, Sephira, Opacho and Emily snuggled up against each other on the futon. Shiro sighed in relief. Everything was just a nightmare. He sat up quietly and wiped his face that had been covered with sweat despite the cold weather. That nightmare had been haunting him in his sleep for god knows how long and yet it still felt like it was his first time having them...

He stood up and went towards his wardrobe before opening them. He took out a small digital watch hidden in one of the pocket of his clothings and blinked.

It was only 3.54 am in the morning. He sighed as he hid the digital watch back in the pocket. It was actually a secret gift from Luchist to him when he went on a business trip to France. Since his older brother disliked technology, Luchist secretly gave him the watch without telling Hao about it. He pulled out a towel and a his training outift from one pile of clothings before quietly leaving the room to take his shower. Much to his surprise, the snowstorm that occurred yesterday have covered up the whole barrier erected over the shrine with snow. He made a mental note to ask Fyra to clean up the snow when he wakes up as he headed to the bathroom. Once he was done cleaning himself, he went back into his room. He took Yoh's keychain and the two tiny bells and attached it on his waist.

'You're very early today Shiro-sama...' Shiro turned and saw Sephira who was sitting on the futon rubbing her sleepy eyes. Fyra seemed to have awoken at the sound of her voice as he stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

'Good morning Fyra, Sephira.' He smiled at them as he closed the wardrobe.

'Good morning.' Sephira smiled at her master.

'Morning.' Fyra grumbled and yawned as he sat up.

'You're going training again?' Sephira asked worriedly. Shiro nodded as he took his katana placed on the study table beside the wardrobe.

'Shiro-sama...you should rest more you know...' Fyra said just as worriedly albeit he was very sleepy.

Emily groaned at them.

'You're noisy...' she said and turned away from them. Opacho stirred slightly as she sucked her thumb in her sleep. Shiro smiled and shook his head. He walked towards them.

'I'll be fine. You two go to sleep alright?' He whispered kissed them on their foreheads. The two nodded and went back to their sleep. Shiro went and did the same thing to Emily and Opacho before going out of the room. He made his way to a clear area in the shrine and started warming up before he began practicing with his sword. He started off with some basic skills.

'Faithful to the fundamentals I see...' Shiro smiled.

'I almost thought you weren't going to show up Mikihisa.' He said as he continued with his training.

'What made you woke up so early Shiro?'

'I woke up at about this time almost everyday. What about you?' he continued practicing with his sword.

'Well...I can't really sleep considering I am currently in the enemies territory.' Shiro heave an exasperated sigh as he lowered his sword. He turned to Mikihisa with a serious expression.

'Mikihisa, I think its about time I clarify this with you. If you aren't planning to accept my brother as your son, then I would suggest that you give up any hope of having me as your son for I will never leave his side.' Shiro could see that the man wasn't happy from the look in his eyes.

'Why do you attach yourself so closely to someone like that? Don't you realize the risk of your actions?'

'I know better than anyone else do the risk of being with Aniki. Even so, I will still choose to be with him no matter what since I love him more than anyone else in this whole world.' Shiro replied bluntly and even with that mask on his face he could tell that Mikihisa was extremely shocked with his answer.

'W-Why? And more importantly...how?' Shiro merely gave him a shrug.

'Love is blind.'

After doing his training, (with Mikihisa watching over him all the time...) Shiro went to prepare breakfast for everyone ahead of time. Mikihisa leaned of the wall of the kitchen not taking his eyes off the boy. He still couldn't understand. Sure...love is blind but was it seriously that blind? He shook his head.

'You're going to end up having migraine if you keep on tormenting your mind like that.' Mikihisa looked up at the younger boy who was staring at him with an apologetic look. Apparently, he had stopped with whatever he was doing right now. Mikihisa let out a resigned sigh.

'I just couldn't understand you...how could you possibly-'

'-say you love that demon as if it was the most natural thing on earth?' Shiro finished off his sentences earning a few nods from the man. Shiro thought for a moment.

'You see...Mikihisa, you were always out climbing mountains and training so you rarely spend any time at home with your loved ones right? Because of that you seemed very distant from them and never really got to know them. Even so, everyone in your family still loves you all the same. Similar concept applies to me. I don't know much about Aniki but I love him all the same. You get what I mean?' Mikihisa felt slightly insulted with what Shiro said but he got the point.

'Now that I already answered all of your questions, its my turn to ask. I remembered Aniki told me that his spirit of fire burned your face at the time when he was born and he said that the spirit didn't hurt you all that badly. Just bad enough to give him more time to escape. If that's the case, shouldn't your face have healed after so long? If yes, why are you still wearing that mask?' Shiro asked him and all he got was a silent, brooding stare.

'Are you going to answer me or not?' Shiro asked after waiting for long moments and the man refused to answer him. Shiro sighed and went back to his work.

'My face had been healing over time but there are still some...scars that remained.' Shiro looked up at Mikihisa who scratched his head.

'Though...I really wasn't wearing this mask to hide my face actually. It's more to remind me of what I failed to do many years ago.' Mikihisa said feeling ashamed and silence enveloped the room for a moment as Shiro stared at his father. Mikihisa was slightly surprised when he let out a small stifled laugh.

'What are you laughing about?' Mikihisa asked.

'Sorry...I can't help it, you made it sound like its the end of the world.' Mikihisa sighed.

'You're so strange. I don't get you at all Shiro...'

'You don't have to. You'll just end up with migraine...'

'Guess you're right...' Mikihisa scratched his head.

'However...just so you know, letting Asakura Hao escape is not a complete failure. For I...am the best proof of that.'

'Shiro...'

'Alright! Time to give Yoh a surprise!' Shiro cleaned his hands and pulled Mikihisa out of the kitchen.

'Come on Mikihisa, we have something important to do before everyone wakes up.' Shiro said and flashed him a smile.

* * *

Yoh stirred in his bed when the rays of sunlight shone into the room. He didn't want to wake up just yet. He turned away from the source of light. It's strange there's even sunlight so early in the mornings and even more strange, why hadn't his alarm rang after so long? After all, he need to wake up at 4.00 am to prepare breakfast before going for his daily run and-wait a second, there's sunlight in his room?

Oh no...

'ANNA'S BREAKFAST!' He exclaimed as he jolted up from bed. Manta and Lyserg who was still asleep jumped at Yoh's sudden exclamation. Yoh looked around the place in confusion wondering where he was when yesterday's incident came into his mind.

'Yoh...why are you screaming?' Lyserg asked sleepily.

'Sorry about that...' Yoh grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. Lyserg and Manta sat up from their respective futons.

'Is there something wrong Yoh?' Keiko came in from the next room apparently also awoken by his loud voice.

'It's nothing Kaa-san.'

'I see...Well, I'll be going then.' With that being said Keiko went out.

'Well, I guess it's about time for us to wake up.' Yoh stretched.

* * *

'Good morning everyone.' Yoh greeted when he went in the dining room. Opacho, Fyra, Sephira, and Emily instantly shot him a glare causing him to flinch.

'Morning Yoh.' Shiro replied as he went in the room with a tray filled with cups of warm chocolate.

'Sorry everyone but I'm not done preparing breakfast yet. You'll have to wait for a while.'

'It's fine. Do you need any extra help Shiro-nii?'

'It's okay. I think I had it covered Yoh. By the way...you're all up very early today Opacho, Fyra, Sephira. Normally I have to go and wake you up.' Shiro commented as he passed the four children a cup of warm chocolate.

'Well, they would have been able to sleep longer had a certain someone not shouted so early in the mornings.' Hao said monotonously as he took a sip from his cup of warm chocolate.

'Sorry about that...ehehehehe...' Yoh grinned sheepishly as he scratched his head. The four shot him a glare.

'Hora hora the four of you shouldn't glare at people like that...those face doesn't suit you all. Have some warm chocolate, it'll warm you up and keep you awake.' they quietly drank their warm chocolate.

'Yoh?'

'What is it Shiro-nii?'

'I have a surprise for you.' Shiro looked up at him smiling. He then turned to his mother.

'...and Kaa-san.'

'Huh?' Keiko stared at him with a questioning look.

'What is it! What is it!' Yoh asked excitedly. Shiro smiled.

'He's just behind you.' they turned and gasped. Keiko stood up and went towards his husband.

'Anata...your face...i-it's healed.' Keiko said with disbelieve.

'I know...' He smiled at her. Tears sprang to Keiko's eyes as she touched Mikihisa's face that no longer bear any scars. She turned to Yoh.

'Yoh look! Your father's-'

'I know!' Yoh lunged himself at the two and the three of them hugged each other affectionately. He was grinning ear to ear.

Suddenly, a loud slam caught everyone's attention and Hao stood up from his seat looking very pissed off. He turned to Shiro who gave him a look of surprise.

'Shiro, come with me.' everyone was surprised at the calm tone of voice used by the fire shaman. Fyra and Sephira gave Shiro a worried look while Opacho was trembling slightly. The rest was curious as to what was going on. Shiro gave them a reassured smile before leaving the room. Once they were out, Yoh turned to his father.

'How did it happen?' Yoh asked his father.

* * *

Shiro went into Hao's room followed by Hao who summoned Kouki and Zenki to guard the door. He sat on his bed and gestured the younger boy to do the same. Shiro obliged almost immediately. He stared at the fire shaman who looked calm yet slightly thoughtful.

'Shiro, you've never told me anything about it.' Hao said after a few moments of silence.

'It just came to my mind a few moments ago. Sorry for not telling you Aniki... Are you angry with me for healing Mikihisa's face?' Shiro asked worriedly and Hao sighed.

'Shiro, I'm not angry about you healing his face, I'm angry at the way you randomly used your powers without thinking of the consequences.' Shiro blinked.

'Eh?'

'Shiro, your body's age is less than one year old. Please understand your body's limitation. Even if you can use the various shamanic powers that I taught you, your body can't withstand the stress. How many times do I have to repeat myself until you understand?'

'Well...it should be alright since I'm only using them once in a while...'

'Oh really? Then how come breakfast still wasn't ready even though it's almost 9.00 in the morning?' Hao asked. Everyday when he woke up the breakfast was normally already prepared on the table waiting for them.

'Well...I-I sort of woke up late today...' Shiro looked away. Hao couldn't help but smile at his younger brother.

'You're a poor liar do you know that Otouto?'

'...'

'How long have you been out this time?' Hao asked after Shiro refused to give him any response. Shiro fidgeted.

'T-Three hours...'

'Three...Do you know how inexplicably long is that?' Hao's eyes narrowed dangerously.

'Well...it's just 3 hours...' Hao sighed.

'Shiro please...think before you decide to use your powers. Even if your powers are growing they are still at a limited amount. Don't just go off and use your powers without thinking.'

'Yes...' Shiro lowered his head. Hao went towards his drawer and took out a piece of paper. He passed the paper to Shiro who blinked and turned to him.

'It's your new training schedule.' Hao said and Shiro began analyzing the paper. His eyes was about to drop out of its sockets.

'EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' his exclaimation sounded through the vicinity of the shrine.

* * *

Breakfast today was pretty quiet and most of them had focused their attention on Shiro who had that funny look on his face ever since he came out of the room. Everyone was curious as to what happened but decided its best they kept quiet about it. Once they were done having their breakfast, Shiro and Yoh collected the dishes and put them in the sink. Just as Yoh was about to wash them, Shiro stopped him.

'We will tend to these later.' Shiro told him.

'So, you guys ready for your desserts?' Hao asked.

'Desserts? What desserts?' Yoh asked and Hao blinked.

'Shiro prepared some special desserts for the guests today. Didn't Shiro tell you anything?'

'No. I was planning to surprise them until you ruined it.'

'Oh...I see.'

'You've got desserts?' Lyserg and Yoh asked at the same time.

'Yeah...you guys wait here. I'll go and get them. No peeking alright?' he went out of the room. A sweet aroma filled in the air as he returned with a tray of the dessert. He distributed the desserts among everyone before going back to his seat. Yoh stared at the dessert in the ramekin and immediately knew that it was a cupcake. The seemingly crispy crust of the cupcake was golden brown in colour and topped with a dusting of cocoa powder and some chocolate curls in the center region. Though, what really caught his attention was the one strawberry placed in between those chocolate curls. Sure, it looked like any other normal strawberries and all but the thing is...why is it that it is almost completely white with red seeds?

Yoh turned to Manta who was looking at the strawberry with an odd look and then to Lyserg who was inspecting and poking the strawberry dubiously followed by Amidamaru who stared at the strawberry just as dubiously before turning to Keiko, Mikihisa, and Tamao who all gave him the same questioning looks. The dessert would have looked really tasty had that white strawberry not ruined their appetite. Shiro's mouth twitched slightly before quirking upwards into a full smile. He began to chuckle slowly and then when everyone turned to him with a questioning look he burst out laughing. The cheerful and happy laugh echoed through the whole dining room and Yoh, Hao, Fyra and Sephira who was watching the boy couldn't help but smile. After all, it was very rare to hear him laugh like that but when he did, it was so nice to hear them. Even Mikihisa, Keiko and Tamao have found themselves feeling less uncomfortable and a lot more relaxed than they were before. Of course, the nervousness of being around Hao and his group of allies remained although some of it had been reduced.

'S-Sorry about that. I-I couldn't help myself.' he managed between chuckles. Hao cleared his throat as an indication of his slightly impudent behaviour and his laughter finally came to a halt. Shiro cleared his throat and reorganize himself. However, Yoh noticed that his expression had more or less softened compared to the usually monotonous and stoic expression he had on his face most of the time.

'You see...I have been wondering for a while how people would react when they saw this fruit and since this was the first time we're having guests here I might as well made a surprise out of it. Don't worry, they are completely edible.' Shiro told them.

'Say Shiro-san...what exactly are these?' Manta asked curiously.

'These are white strawberries also known as pineberries. They are hybrid fruits and were bred from a wild strawberry originating from South America. They stay white even when they ripens.'

'Why would they call them pineapple strawberries?' Yoh asked.

'Simple. Because they had a slight pineapple flavor in them.' Hao replied as he ate the white strawberry as if it was a normal strawberry.

'Mmm...delicious.' Opacho said as she took another bite from the dessert. Other than the guests, everyone seemed to paid no attention to the unusual strawberry as they ate the desserts. The guests gave them an incredulous look. Yoh stared at the strawberry on his ramekin. He pierced the pineberry with his forks and took a really small bite out of it. Amidamaru, Manta, Lyserg, Keiko, Mikihisa and Tamao watched him with disbelieve. Much to their surprise, his face lit up.

'Hao-nii you're right! It does taste like pineapple!' Yoh told them.

'Told you so.' Shiro and Hao said simultaneously. Yoh gulped down his remaining strawberry and proceeded to take a bite out of the souffle.

'This cupcake is amazing Shiro-nii!'

'These aren't cupcakes. They are known as Souffle.' Shiro told him. Yoh didn't seem to pay any attention to him as he licked his lips and speared another chunk of the dessert from the ramekin. He turned to his friends and parents.

'Come on, try it out! It's really good!' Yoh urged them.

They eyed one another and ate the strawberry throwing away whatever's left of their sanity. Once they ate the strawberry however, all of them blinked. It was surprisingly good. In fact, it's even better than the normal strawberries in their opinion.

'The strawberry's not bad...' Lyserg muttered with surprise.

'You're right Lyserg.' Manta said.

'I have to admit. This stuff is really good...' Keiko commented when she took the first bite out of the dessert after eating her strawberry.

'Ahh...' Mikihisa nodded in agreement while Tamao was too shy to say anything. Yoh blinked out of the sudden. A hot, white sauce flowed out of the souffle he was eating. He tasted the warm sauce and blinked in utter surprise.

'Chocolate?'

'Bingo! Those are melted white chocolates Yoh.'

'Huh?'

'Well, since we are all feeling cold at the moment I though it would be better to have a dessert that could warm you up a little.'

**['I see you put in dark chocolate for my souffle instead. Excellent choice Shiro. Très bien.']** Hao thought to his brother smiling.

**['Merci.']** Shiro smiled back at his brother. They turned when they saw Yoh sniffing the air.

'What's wrong Yoh?'

'N-Nothing!' Yoh grinned sheepishly.

**'I thought I smelled a really rich chocolate flavor a few moments ago...'** Hao raised his eyebrow at Yoh's thoughts entering his mind.

**['Would you like to know where it came from Yoh?']** Yoh turned to Hao with a surprised look. Hao smiled as he pointed at his dessert using his fork.

**['Ohh...wait, how come the smell of your chocolate is so different from mine?']**

**['That's because Shiro used dark chocolate to make mine instead. Dark chocolate has a deeper flavor compared to white chocolate.]**

'Ehhhhh! That's so not fair! I want dark chocolate too!' Yoh accidentally said it out loud and everyone stared at him.

'Yoh, are you sure you wanted dark chocolate? I made yours with white chocolate since-' Hao stopped Shiro.

'Sure, but before that I would suggest that you have a taste of my souffle before asking for it.' he pushed his plate towards Yoh and that was when they all saw the dark chocolate that had flowed out from within.

'Aniki, what are you-'

**['Just watch.'] **Shiro sighed.

'Everyone, you're welcome to have a taste if you want.' Yoh instantly swiped off a huge chunk of his brother's dessert. Shiro sighed knowing what was coming.

'ERGH! WHAT'S WITH THIS CHOCOLATE? IT'S SO BITTER!'

'While dark chocolates might have a very strong flavor and scent, they have are quite bitter in terms of taste Yoh-kun.' Manta explained to Yoh.

'That's why I made yours using white chocolate Yoh.' Shiro continued.

'I see...So you prepared them according to our taste.' Mikihisa said.

'That's right. Shiro always took these things into consideration when preparing food.'

'You seemed really passionate about these things Shiro. Could it be that...'

'Yeah...I like baking things.' Shiro answered Lyserg's question earning a few comical expressions from the guest. Mikihisa sighed mentally. Seriously, that second son of his was so strange, so mysterious and so full of surprises.

'Why?' Lyserg asked.

'I'm not very sure myself. I was always doing it as a mere daily routine everyday. Somehow, they eventually became a hobby and a source of enjoyment since it's one of the few things I'm really good at and it always clears off my mind of things.'

'Now that you mentioned it, I remembered Ryu-san saying something like that too when I asked him why he likes to cook.' Manta said.

'I get even more stressful whenever I cook for Anna though. I get worried since I didn't know if she'll like them or if it would taste terrible when it's done.' Yoh admitted.

'That's strange. They'll always work like a charm when I need to clear my mind though.' Shiro said.

'That's probably because he doesn't enjoy it and aren't good at it.' Hao said and Yoh gave him a wounded look.

'I thinks it's really enjoying though...and for that reason, I aim to become a top-class chef when I grow up. Then, I would run a top-class store and sell pastries that only I could make.' he said smiling confidently.

'Ehh...That's some pretty impressive dream you got there Shiro-kun.' Lyserg said and Shiro blinked.

'Actually, I was just kidding about the dream part.' Everyone except Hao and Shiro fell over.

'Come on, it was obviously ridiculous. A top class chef and a top class store? No thanks. Ryu can have it. Though, even with all that being said I have no intention of being a worker for an inn named Funbari Onsen.' Shiro glanced meaningfully at Yoh.

'What's your real dream then?' Manta asked.

'Currently, I don't have really have any goals or dreams in my life. I just want to live in peace with Aniki, Luchist, Fyra and Sephira and Opacho which I'm doing right now. Even if I were to have one, it won't be as big of a dream as Luchist's.' Everyone turned to Luchist.

'What is your dream Luchist?' Yoh asked.

'Well, I was planning to expand my business across the world and one day became one of the world's most successful entrepreneur.'

'Currently, Luchist have opened a few branches across the countries.' Hao stated.

'Including Japan!' Opacho said.

'Yeap. Including Japan.' Hao nodded.

'Speaking of business, how was your new project going Luchist?' everyone stared at Shiro with a questioning look. Hao sighed melodramatically.

'Guess all workaholics ever think about is work, work, and more work eh Shiro?' Hao glanced meaningfully at Shiro who gave him a nervous look.

'Man, you should really stop worrying and take a break Yuu.' a voice said. The guests jumped at Haruka, Yukino and Karin's sudden appearance while the rest remained unaffected.

'Sorry for the intrusion.' Karin said and smiled.

'Wow...you sure have a lot of guests here today.' Yukino said with only a slight surprise in her voice.

'Is that pineberries I'm seeing?' Haruka pointed at Shiro's souffle that was barely touched.

'Yeah...'

'Where did you get them?'

'Oh...Luchist bought them home when he was in America.' Haruka stared at Shiro's souffle longingly and Shiro sighed. He pushed the ramekin towards Haruka who turned to him.

'You can have it if you want.' Shiro passed him the fork he was using.

'You sure about that Yuu?'

'Just make sure you don't eat the souffle that's all. I'm not in the mood to be criticised by you.'

'Then why don't you hurry up and master the fundamentals already? We can't criticise a food when it's good.' Shiro frowned at Haruka who smiled mockingly as he ate the white strawberry.

'Haruka-san, I think Shiro-nii's souffle is good.' Yoh told Haruka who raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Yukino and Karin who nodded and smiled. Haruka snatched Shiro's souffle away before he could stop him and the three swiped a bite from his dessert. Their face lit up in surprise.

'Mmm...it's surprisingly good.' Yukino commented and Karin nodded in agreement.

'And here I thought you're only good at making fruit cakes.' Haruka said as he took another bite.

'Will you stop throwing insults at me and give me back my dessert? Sheesh...why am I the only person who always gets criticized by you guys?'

'Well, first of all...you're Fuyuki's younger brother who's one of the top student in St. Mary, England. Since Fuyuki was the top student, shouldn't the younger brother be the second to top?'

'You're also a top student Haruka. Why is it that your younger sister Karin was never given expectations like that?' Shiro retorted.

'That's simple. Karin's a girl and I'm a boy. Therefore, the expectations given to us are on different level although she ended up having equal expectations thanks for her own hardwork.' Haruka answered.

'On the other hand, both you and Fuyuki are boys so the expectations are equivalent to each other in the first place.' Yukino continued.

'The fact that Fuyuki's better than you tells us that you're not working hard enough, so it's normal for everyone to give you a push.' Karin added.

'Hence, the only way for you to make us stop is to live up to your expectations!' Haruka pointed his index finger at him.

'To live up to my expectations huh?' Shiro said in a barely audible voice.

'Sorry?'

'N-Nothing!'

The guest who had been watching stared at Shiro with utter confusion. In their opinion, Shiro can already be considered a very multi-talented person. He was a strong shaman, he could do any kinds of house chores, he's good in sports and studies (that's what the Yoshifumi's told them), and he could even sing! Most of all, he was unflinchingly brave as he was the one and only person who dares to go against Anna (when deemed necessary that is...). Yet...it was so damn obvious that those three are underestimating Shiro's capability.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

* * *

**The guest who had been watching stared at Shiro with utter confusion. In their opinion, Shiro can already be considered a very multi-talented person. He was a strong shaman, he could do any kinds of house chores, he's good in sports and studies (that's what the Yoshifumi's told them), and he could even sing! Most of all, he was unflinchingly brave as he was the one and only person who dares to go against Anna (when deemed necessary that is...). Yet...it was so damn obvious that those three are underestimating Shiro's capability.**

* * *

Anna was lying on the floor watching TV as usual although her concentration was more on her own thoughts rather than on the TV today. Recently, Yoh have been skipping his training to spend time with his brothers very often and it sort of pissed her off. Not to mention those two annoying brothers of his hardly ever listens to her. However, she could still tolerate with Hao a bit considering they both never really give a damn about each other's lives but Shiro...he is a completely different story. He would always stood up to her in every way possible and surprisingly, Anna could find no ways to get back at him. No matter how vigorous of a training she gave him, he would always managed the training procedure without much difficulty. Then, there are times when he ignored her protests about something she disliked when she obviously have the right to do it.

What's more, she couldn't help but felt that the rebellious yet superior attitudes that Shiro portrayed are beginning to influence the people around her as well. Ryu who had always done work without much complaint had talk back to her yesterday. Of course, she slapped him. Then, Kanna and Macchi had argued with her for slapping Ryu over something so trivial and both Faust and Mari had surprisingly agreed with them. She clenched her fists. Someday, she'll make Shiro pay for everything he did including making her knelt on the floor and ruining her pride in front of everyone yesterday.

However, the person who bugged her the most was neither Shiro nor Yoh. It was Hao.

Kino had told her what happened when they went to look for Asahi and Fumiya. She hated to admit it but she was worried that the pyromaniac's two his friends would expose on their atrocities to his fiancee. She lifted up her left hand and stared at the bracelet Yoh bought her. She didn't care about what will Shiro will do to them when he finds out what they've done but...how was her fiancee, Yoh going to react to the news? Will he be able to take it? As she thought about that, a part of her had told her that it won't be happening any time soon and that everything is going to be fine because...if Hao had wanted to unveil their crimes, he would have done that a long long time ago.

Which is precisely what's bugging her mind.

His incomprehensible actions has triggered her confusion and gave her a lot of headache ever since then. Wouldn't he had won this battle with ease if he just spill out the beans? Surely Shiro would have cut off the bonds with the Asakura family without a single hesitation if he did that. Or did he have even better plans in mind? God knows.

Suddenly, Yohmei and Kino came into the room.

'Anna.' Yohmei called out and the itako turned.

'Is there something I can help you with Yohmei-sama, Kino-sensei?' Anna asked with her usual monotonous tone.

'Where's Yoh, Keiko and Mikihisa?'

'They haven't returned since yesterday.' She answered.

'What about Tamao?' Kino asked.

'Don't know. I haven't seen her since morning.'

'I see. Thank you anyways Anna.' He walked away with Kino. Suddenly, he let out a sigh.

'Thinking about what happened yesterday old man?' Kino asked.

'Ahhh...' Yohmei answered. He had to admit he was astounded when he realized that Shiro knew nothing about salutes. After all, he definitely knew about manners from what the way he punished people yesterday. Now that he thought about it, it's probably Hao's fault that this happened. He must have been very focused on training him to become stronger. After all, he don't need Shiro to be sociable. Just strong enough to become his allies will do. Suddenly, the incident with Fumiya and Asahi came into his mind. He tighten his hold on the walking stick he was holding. If Yoh and Shiro ever finds out what he had done to that 'demon' they acknowledged as their brother, he is definitely going to be a goner. Definitely.

* * *

Shiro stared at the sky as he slept on the roof.

**'The fact that Fuyuki's better than you tells us that you're not working hard enough, so it's normal for everyone to give you a push.'** Karin's voice echoed in Shiro's head.

'Push? It sounds a lot more like shove.' Shiro grumbled to no one in particular.

'It's not like you at all to be complaining so suddenly...' Karin said and he jerked in surprise.

'Karin! W-When did you get here?'

'The moment you said push? It sounds a lot more like shove.' Karin went to sit beside him.

'Is there something bothering you?' Karin frowned when he refused to answer her.

'That's not the way to treat someone who cared about you Yuu.' Shiro took a deep breath.

'Why is it that I have to live up to everyone's expectations? I've only lived for less than a year for Great Spirits sake! I'm almost sixteen years of experience behind! How am I supposed to even catch up to all of you? I don't even know what salutes are for...' Shiro blurted.

'Age doesn't matter Yuu.'

'It does! There was once where I can't comprehend what Yoh was asking and had Kotone not showed up just then, I wouldn't have been able to find out what the word 'torture' meant!' (refer to chapter 37) Karin blinked.

'Torture? Why would he ask anything related torture?'

'He just wondered if Aniki ever tortured me that's all. Not that I blame him anyway...he just happened to find out who I really am at that time.' Shiro shrugged.

'Well, it is understandable why you can't understand them you know...I mean...those two words were rarely used in our daily conversation.'

'I bet a 5 year old kid would have known what it meant if you asked them.' Shiro muttered.

'You're a different story Yuu. You just happened to look a lot older than you're supposed to be so you can't really be compared to five year old kids.'

'See? Age does matter.' Karin sighed.

'Alright. I'll admit that it matters but the thing is...I don't think that this logic applies to you.'

'Huh?'

'I don't really know how to explain it but somehow...you're like a special being. You have this strange ability of learning and remembering things at an unusually short time. Do you remember that time when you listened to Haruka playing the piano for the first time? You played the piano after him and you imitated that very song he was playing including his mistakes.'

'Actually...I don't really know what happened to me that time. My hands were moving on its own before I realized it. Perhaps I was possessed by the spirit of a pianist?'

'No, you're not! I've been able to see spirits since I was young and I could have sworn there were no spirits in the room!'

'Maybe the spirit possessed me even before I went into the room.'

'It's definitely not because of you being possessed Yuu.'

'What is it then?'

'How am I supposed to know! I'm not you!'

'Then it's most probably your subconsciousness who was doing the work back then.' Haruka said as he appeared out of nowhere surprising Shiro and Karin.

'Haruka! You almost scared us to death!' Karin said.

'That aside, what's subconsciousness Haruka?'

'A state of mind in which a person is not wholly conscious; partially or imperfectly conscious. The subconsciousness is the part of the mind below the level of conscious perception and is relatively dim in awareness.' Manta who appeared out of nowhere read its definition according to his encyclopedia surprising the three.

'Uhhh...I know I'm not supposed to be asking but...what's conscious?' Shiro asked and Manta flipped through his encyclopedia.

'The conscious state is the rational awareness that usually guides our daily decisions. It is the time when we receive input from the senses, analyze the facts, and makes decisions based on information received from others.'

'I guess I won't have to explain anything now.' Haruka said to himself.

'So in short, you're saying that my mind controls me?'

'Maybe. Maybe not. It's just a theory.'

'Theory?'

'A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.' Manta turned to Haruka.

'Why would you come up with such a theory Haruka-san?' Manta asked Haruka.

'Well...I noticed many times when Yuu sees things he has never seen before he always made it looked like he had known it from a long long time ago.'

'Well...I'd admit that there are many times my knowledge seemed to appear out of thin air when I saw something new.'

'You think it has something to do with Hao taking your soul many years ago?' Manta asked Shiro.

'I'm not sure but it could be possible if you see it as a theory.'

'Oiiiiiiiii!' Everyone looked down and saw Yoh, Hao, Yukino and Lyserg waving at them. They all got down from the roof.

What are you guys-'

'Just having a brief conversation.' Shiro answered before Lyserg could finish. Suddenly, he blinked.

'Say Diethel...Aren't you going to return home now that the storm is gone? After all, you've been staying here since last night right?' Shiro asked him.

'Don't worry, his parents already knew he's with us so it should be fine if he wants to stay a little longer.' Hao answered.

'How'd you know?' Lyserg asked.

'Well...I'm Asakura Hao remember?'

'Oh yeah...'

'So, what do you want? Surely you wouldn't have come here for no reason right?' Shiro asked his older brother who smirked in reply.

'Well I was wondering if you want to go to your soon-to-be school since Luchist received news that your examination results are out.'

'Already? I thought it would be taking a few weeks.' Hao shrugged.

'Japanese people are workaholics. Anyway, want to go and have a look at your results?'

'If the school's open it should be fine.' Hao threw dagger looks at Shiro.

'Shiro, if your grades have dropped I'm starting your new training tomorrow.' Shiro gulped nervously. Although he was curious about his results, a part of him wished that the school wasn't open today.

* * *

Isabella stared at the window while sitting on her bed. Since she was still sick, her mother refused to let her go anywhere and she disliked the way she was being treated like a 5 year old kid especially when she was already 15. She stared at the sky through her window and couldn't help but be reminded of her savior who had disappeared since yesterday. She was really surprised that the one who saved her was Yuu and not Fuyuki. She got along quite well with Fuyuki but she have only ever talked to Yuu a few times in school and that is also about things regarding either the school or the student council.

Her father have called for the Yoshifumi's to meet him and he told her that Yuu and Fuyuki was not present and the Yoshifumi's have no idea where they went. She was sure the two were together like they always do in the past. She smiled at that thought. They have always been a very mysterious pair of brothers no matter how she look at the two. Like the two sides of a same coin, they have completely different personalities and yet they could have a lot of things in common. Yuu is very anti social and disliked anyone being near him (not that they dared to approach him anyway...) other than his brother while Fuyuki make friends with almost every students in school. However, both of them excel in sports and their studies and were members of the student council. Not to mention they are extremely popular. Of course...even though Yuu's just as popular as his brother, no one dared to approach him at all. Not just because of his attitude, but also because of some bad rumours about him. Plus, they avoided him even more after seeing the way he does things during the community service.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of her room door being opened. She looked up and smiled when she saw her mother coming in with a tray filled with food. She placed the tray on the night stand and sat on her bed all the while staring at her with concern.

(Note: They are speaking in English here so I underlined the dialogue. Just so you know, the conversation without the underline meant that they were speaking in Japanese with each other...^^)

'Isa, why aren't you resting?'

'I've had more than enough rest mom.' Mrs. Avery noticed that her daughter seemed troubled by something.

'What's the matter?'

'Huh...N-Nothing!' Mrs. Avery gave her a I'm-not-going-to-buy-that look and she sighed.

'It's that girl.'

'Girl? Who? A friend of yours?'

'No. The one who possessed me before...Emily.' Mrs. Avery stared at her with utter shock.

'You knew who was the one who possessed you?' she nodded.

'Well...she's really-'

'That's great news! Now that you remembered her Utsuki will be able to exorcise her!'

'Mom, that's-'

'I've got to tell Utsuki and Jeanne about this! Isabella wait here, I'll go and get her!'

She went out before she could say anything else. She sighed. She should have known her mother would resort to soul exorcism. If only there's someone who could help her with this problem.

Unknown to her, Tsuzuki and Sayuri were downstairs having tea with Mr. Avery.

'Have you got any news on their whereabouts?' Mr. Avery asked and Tsuzuki could only sigh. Yesterday he received a call from Funbari Onsen and both Sayuri and him had rushed there as fast as they could but when they arrived Yuu and Fuyuki had once again mysteriously disappeared to god-knows-where.

'I see...I really want to thank them though. Yuu especially. If not for him, I wouldn't have been able to see my daughter again.' He smiled gratefully at the two of them. Sayuri's smile faded quickly though...

'It still worries me a bit now that the spirit resides in Yuu's body.' Sayuri said and Tsuzuki shushed her.

'What?' Mr. Avery nearly spilled his cup of tea.

'The spirit possessed Yuu? How?' He asked them.

'Since he retained his consciousness I could only guess that he trade in his body in exchange for Isabella's freedom.' Mr. Avery was speechless.

'Why would he do that? It's not like Isabella is her sister or something!' Tsuzuki sighed.

'I think its time we tell you more about Yuu and Fuyuki's origin and...the main reason we...chose to adopt them in the first place.'

* * *

Mikihisa stared at the sky in deep thought as he stood on the verandah. From the looks of things, Hao and his two friends hadn't said anything about that particular _incident_. It confused him to no end as to why they did that. Sure, his friends have glared at him when no one is looking but wouldn't they have been able to take revenge for what he did if they just reveal his participation in Hao's annihilation attempt to Keiko, Yoh, or Shiro?

_'However...just so you know, letting Asakura Hao escape is not a complete failure. For I...am the best proof of that.'_

His hand unconsciously touched his face as he thought back to what Shiro had said to him this morning. Now that he thought about it, he still couldn't figure out the why his newly found son was so attached to Hao. As far as he knows, Hao was far too powerful and dangerous to be loved by anyone even if love is blind. Even more knowing that he once attempted to annihilate all humanity in this world. Could it be that...Shiro was under one of his spell? Mikihisa shook his head at that thought.

No. Hao wouldn't bend that low. Not to mention from the way he smiled at Shiro it was obvious he cared for him.

If that's the case...what is it?

He sighed. If someone have asked him whether killing Hao is right or not, he would have undoubtedly say yes but after seeing the way Hao and Shiro interacted with each other, he doesn't know if it's still right anymore...

Truthfully when Shiro was pretending as Hao, he could more or less feel that the Hao have changed from the way he spoke and all so there was a small part of him that doesn't agree with Yohmei's perspective. Nonetheless, as soon as he found out about the real Hao, the anger and hatred for that fire shaman returned especially knowing that he had used his third son for his own purpose. (or so he thought...) Which is why Yohmei managed to convince him to help him in his plans to take down Hao. Now that his anger over him had faded with Shiro's help, he couldn't help but feel a small tinge of guilt for trying to kill Hao when he didn't even do anything wrong. He already revived the people he once killed and was merely living a normal life now. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty glad his father's plan hadn't worked out the way he wanted and that Hao was still alive.

'Thinking about Hao and Shiro?' Keiko's gentle voice snapped him out of his train of thoughts. Mikihisa turned and stare at her who smiled at him in return.

'Keiko.'

'Yes Anata?'

'What if...what if one day, I did a mistake which I shouldn't have ever done in my entire life? Will you forgive me for it?' Mikihisa asked quietly. Keiko stared at him in surprise for a moment before smiling at him.

'Of course I would. After all, I'm your wife.' she answered without any hesitation surprising him.

'Really?'

'No one is perfect in this world. Everyone make mistakes all the time. Just because we were members of the Asakura household it doesn't give us any exceptions.' she told his husband. They remained silent for a moment.

'Do you mind if I ask you something Keiko?'

'What is it?'

'If one day you were given a chance to...kill Hao, will you ever do it?' Pure silence surrounded the two as the question was left hanging in the air.

'Never.' Keiko finally answered. Mikihisa's heart skipped a beat. That is definitely an answer he did not wish to hear considering what he had...well...almost done.

* * *

Yoh, Lyserg, Manta, Haruka, Karin and Yukino were sitting on the veranda patiently waiting for Shiro and Hao's return when Opacho tugged Yoh's clothing. Yoh turned to her. She was carrying her kitten on her hand.

'Yes Opacho?'

'Yoh-sama, have you seen Hao-sama and Shiro-sama?' Opacho asked Yoh.

'Hao-nii and Shiro-nii went out not too long ago. Don't worry Opacho, they'll be back before you know it.' Yoh sensed the girl was slightly uneasy.

'What's the matter Opacho?' Yoh asked. Opacho fidgeted.

'Opacho's feeling hungry...'

'Eh? But we just ate not too long ago Opacho.' Manta said and Opacho's eyes turned teary.

'MANTA BAKA!' Opacho wailed.

'WHAT? WHAT DID I DO!' Opacho walked away ignoring him.

'Opacho wait!' Yoh called out. Opacho turned to Yoh.

'Come on guys...let's go to the kitchen.'

'Eh?'

Yoh knelt down so that he was on eye level with Opacho.

'Hora hora, don't cry Opacho. I'll make you something nice to eat alright?' he smiled at her.

'Really? Yoh-sama will do it?' Yoh nodded.

'Yoh, is this alright? I mean...this is Hao's house right?' Lyserg said worried for his friend's well being.

'Don't worry, everything will definitely work out!' Lyserg and Manta smiled while Yukino, Haruka and Karin were surprised at his optimism. It somehow reminded them of Shiro in a way but they quickly brushed the thought aside.

'Opacho! Where are you!' Shiro's voice silenced them all. It sounded slightly desperate as the sound of footsteps became louder indicating that he is getting closer to them.

'Shiro, calm down. You're walking way too fast.' Hao's voice could be heard.

'I can't help it! Since I was worried about my results I completely forgot that she usually gets hungry at this time of the day!'

'Shiro, you ought to be careful. If you don't watch where you're going you're bound to-' a startled yelp sounded the air followed by loud crashing sounds interrupted Hao's speech midway. Everyone rushed out of the kitchen only to be greeted with an awkward sight.

Shiro was lying face flat on the ground with a mountain of books piled up on top of him.

'-fall.' Hao finished.

'Shiro-sama!' Luchist placed down his now emptied box and quickly helped the boy out of the mountain of books.

'Owww...that hurts...' Shiro clutched his aching forehead.

'I'm really sorry Shiro-sama, I didn't see you coming just now. Are you alright?' Luchist ask Shiro who nodded in reply.

Suddenly, sounds of giggling made them look up.

'What's so funny?' Shiro frowned at Haruka, Yukino and Karin who was laughing. Lyserg, Manta, and Yoh could have sworn that he was almost pouting when he said that. The three of them turned to Hao and was quite taken aback to see Hao smiling as well.

'I-It's nothing Yuu...' Yukino managed between chuckles. This nostalgic scene really brings back a lot of memories of when Yuu used to have that tendency to trip and crash into all kinds of things whenever he gets anxious which could range from books, boxes, tables, chairs to teachers, pillars and worst case scenario...staircases. Then, when they laughed at him, he'll always say 'what's so funny?' and shoot them a half-hearted glare.

Now that she thought back, with everything that has happened, it was almost rare to even see him laugh let alone get clumsy like that.

After receiving no reply other than their continuous laughter, Shiro proceeded to help Luchist to put the all books back into the box.

'Sorry Luchist, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.'

'It's alright Shiro-sama. Anyway, was the school opened today?' Shiro's expression turned anxious out of a sudden. He swallowed nervously and as he gave a few nods.

'Did you passed the entrance examination?' Haruka asked before Luchist could.

'Yes.' Hao answered on Shiro's behalf.

'Then what's with that look Yuu? It's not like you failed.' Yukino said.

'It's not really surprising since his grades have more or less dropped. Well...as promised, I'm starting your new training regimen tomorrow.' Hao smiled at Shiro who was currently having twin waterfall tears running down his cheek much to Yoh, Manta and Lyserg's surprise.

'Though, I have to admit I'm quite surprised that you still scored among the top in the list.' Hao continued.

'You're among the top on the list?' Manta asked incredulously.

'Wow, that's really great Shiro-nii!'

'It still didn't change the fact that my grades have dropped.' Shiro said still crying.

**'and I don't want to undergo the new training regimen!'** he continued mentally.

'Come on, I'm sure it's not all that bad.'

**'It's bad! REALLY bad!'** Shiro retorted mentally as he thought of the harsh training Hao had in store for him from tomorrow onwards.

'Wait, which name did you use when you registered into the school?' Yukino asked.

'Yuuji Yoshifumi.' Hao said.

'Eh? Why didn't you use the name Shiro Asakura?' Yoh asked Shiro who looked away.

'He only have the certificates provided by the Yoshifumi family that confirm his identity as Yuuji Yoshifumi since your beloved parents never knew they had another son. You can't blame him.' Hao told Yoh who looked slightly disappointed with the news.

Silence enveloped them all...

'Hence, from now on we should start calling him Yuuji instead of Shiro now that he's going to be using this name in school so that we wouldn't to cause more...complications.' Hao said cutting off the silence.

'Does that mean you're giving up on naming him Shiro instead of Yuuji?' Haruka asked. Everyone focused their attention on Hao.

'No, I still preferred the name Shiro over Yuuji but for now...let's just put it as a pet name. It's currently the best option. Also...' Hao turned to Shiro who blinked.

'It would make life a little less difficult for Yuuji.' Hao said and ruffled Shiro's hair in a brotherly way.

'Whoever said you have the right to choose any names for Shiro?' a voice interrupted and everyone turned and saw Mikihisa, Keiko and Tamao walking towards them. Haruka and Karin glared at Mikihisa.

'What are you trying to imply old man?' Haruka asked.

'That's not the way for you to speak to the elderly you know...' Mikihisa retorted.

'Just so you know, you don't look very elderly to me. At least, your MIND didn't!' Karin continued.

'Whoa whoa whoa...guys, calm down.' Yukino gestured for them to stop.

'Yukino's right...you both need to calm down. Seriously, what's gotten into you two? You both were never the provoking type.' Shiro asked the two and they quickly realized their mistake. Hao give them a warning look.

'He started it.' Haruka pouted and Shiro couldn't help but smile.

'That's not a reason someone like you should be giving you know...' Shiro said.

'Anyway, what do you want Mikihisa?' Hao asked the man.

'It's not a want Hao. It is originally mine. Shiro is a part of the Asakura family and he will take on our family's last name. As for his first name, we will decide on it ourselves and in case you don't know you have no right to choose Shiro's name.' Mikihisa said firmly.

'YOU'RE WRONG OLD MAN! SHIRO IS NEVER YOURS! FUYUKI TOOK CARE OF YUU EVEN MORE THAN YOU DO AND THAT GIVES HIM ALL THE RIGHT TO DECIDE HIS BROTHER'S NAME!' Haruka exploded and everyone was surprised for a moment.

**'Haruka you idiot!'** Hao scolded him in his mind and smacked his forehead.

'Our family business has nothing to do with you so I suggest that you stay out of this boy.' Mikihisa glared at him.

'Excuse me, who do you think you are calling me to stay out of this? ' Haruka asked dangerously.

'Shiro's father.' Mikihisa answered without any hesitation.

'Hmph, fine, point taken. Then, what are you going to do if I refuse to stay out of this?'

'There's nothing you could do. I will make sure you stay out of this even if I have to use force.'

'Do it then!' Haruka give him a challenging look.

'Haruka! What are you talking about!' Shiro exclaimed.

'Imari! Shigaraki!'

'Otou-san don't!' Yoh called out but it had fallen onto deaf ears as the two spirits charged forward.

'Just so you know Mikihisa-san...I COULD EASILY TURN YOUR SON INTO A YOSHIFUMI WITH SIX MERE WORDS!' Haruka said loud enough for everyone to hear.

'ZERO!' the white hound appeared and attacked the fox and racoon which disappeared instantly after taking the first blow. Shiro walked towards Haruka with a serious expression. He lifted him up by the collar much to his surprise. After all, Shiro never resorted to violence unless it is urgently necessary.

'What are you talking about Haruka? What exactly do you mean when you said you could turn me into a Yoshifumi with six mere words?' Shiro said through gritted teeth ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving from everyone. That was when Haruka realized his mistakes courtesy of his anger. Suddenly, realization hit Shiro hard and as quickly as he held him up, Shiro released his grip on his collar.

'Sorry. I got carried away by my emotions a bit.' he said and looked away. No one could really see his expression as his face had been partially hidden by his hair.

'Shiro, you alright?' Hao carefully placed his hands on his shoulders. He nodded.

'I think I'll go to the kitchen.' he said and walked away. Suddenly, he halted and turned to Haruka.

'Haruka, just so you know, I'm not that same person you first met back then. I can make my own decisions regarding whether I want to become a part of that family or not.' he said quietly.

'I know...I wasn't really refering to that actually. Sorry if I was giving you that impression.' Shiro give him an odd look but said nothing more. Mikihisa, Keiko, Yoh, Manta, Lyserg, and Tamao were confused as to what was going on.

Just then, the sounds of plate being broken startled everyone and they hastily rushed to the kitchen. At one corner near the cabinet Opacho was sobbing. A few inches in front of her lies a shattered plate.

'Opacho!' the girl looked up and trembled violently.

'Shiro-sama...Hao-sama...' the girls eyes turned teary.

'Are you alright?' Shiro carried her up and placed her on the edge cooking station before checking if there's any shards on her. Opacho nodded her head.

'Sorry..._sob_...Shiro-sama..._sob_...Opacho was..._sob_...going to..._sob_...take the..._sob_...cookie jar..._sob_...but Opacho dropped..._sob_...the plate...'

'Oh...you should have used the stool over there Opacho.' Shiro gestured at a stool he had purposely placed at a corner for her to use just in case. Opacho blinked. She hadn't saw the stool just now.

'Anyway, I'll clean this up make you some rice balls so could you wait a little longer Opacho?' the girl nodded and he smiled and patted her head.

'Gomen Opacho...you must be really hungry right now.' He gave her an apologetic smile.

* * *

Mr. Avery stared at them in deep shock as the information finally registered his mind. He find everything they said hard to believe.

'I know everything sounds crazy Mr. Avery but...we've learnt our lesson the hard way so it's definitely not going to happen again. Right now, we're trying to amend ourselves so we hope you could...help us.' Tsuzuki said pleadingly.

'Wow...All this while, I always thought they lived a great life since they are part of your family who happens to be wealthy. Yet, it was the other way round. I thought Fuyuki's impudent behaviour towards you both was because he's been spoiled. I thought Yuu rarely talks with any of the school students and was crude to them whenever he did was because he was just being plain snobby and stuck-up since they were younger and inferior. Who would have thought...they've gone through this much? Yuu especially...'

'W-We know...we too wished that things hadn't turn ot this way but...we can't change the past. We can still change the future though. That's why...if possible, we would like you to help us remove the bad rumours regarding Yuu in St. Mary.'

'Rumours? What rumours?'

'I know that all the students think he cause strange accidents to happen in the school. We already heard everything from Shinichi.'

'Oh...so you knew about that. Well, that thing has been taken care of already actually.'

'What?' Tsuzuki and Sayuri stared at him with surprise.

'Well, regarding that matter it was my daughter who was at fault. Isa's been staying at school till late at night to study so I secretly asked Yuu to stay and accompany her in case anything bad happens to her. He's really good at martial arts so I was sure he could protect her. Plus, he doesn't talk much so he wouldn't disrupt Isa while she was busy with her studies. Some of the students mistook them as ghost and freaked out so they ended up breaking some of the school property since they weren't really watching where they were going. Before I knew it they've already been regarded as strange happenings in the school since no one knows who did it in the first place. Well, until someone bumped into Yuu in the middle of the night and started spreading rumours...'

'Who is that person?'

'We don't know. Yuu wouldn't say a word when we asked who. Thankfully, we were able to take care of the problem thanks to Isabella's idea of enforcing new rules.'

'Wait...How come Kate doesn't know about all this?' Sayuri asked.

'I don't want to make her worry. She's very protective of our Isa but Isa was just as stubborn as Kate. Had Isa asked for her permission she wouldn't get what she wants and they would end up arguing one whole day. We had to keep it a secret from her so everyday I would distract her with something until Isa gets home safely.'

'Mr. Avery, since when did Yuu start to get involved with your plans?'

'Actually, it all started ever since I saw his unrivalled way of doing things during a community service in our school.'

'Let me guess...the one where he not only ended up being a crude waiter but had also forcefully dragged a teacher into the bus out of losing patience?'

'Yup, that's the one.'

**'So this was the so-called club activities that had him return from school in the middle of the night all this time...'** Tsuzuki and Sayuri thought among themselves.

'Say...didn't Yuu ever tell you anything?'

'Nope. He only said something about joining a club so he won't be returning home till late at night.' There was a short moment of silence.

'He couldn't possibly expect you to believe something like that did he?'

'As he had always been a poor liar...we didn't believe him one bit. Until Fuyuki covered things up for him that is.'

'I see...'

'Still, when have you took care of that problem?'

'Unfortunately, we managed to clear things up only after Yuu and Fuyuki left the school. _Sigh_...things was just starting to get better for Yuu and he had to transfer somewhere else.' Mr. Avery shook his head.

'Yeah...we heard the news from Fuyuki regarding Yuu's transfer to a normal school. If I'm not mistaken, Fuyuki is probably considering transferring there as well.' Sayuri said earning another sigh from the principal.

'You know...Maybe we should try and convince him to get back into St. Mary.' Tsuzuki said.

'Honey, it's already too late. Fuyuki said the transferring procedures have all been completed.'

'Well, there's always another way.' Tsuzuki said with a knowing smile and Sayuri immediately understood what he meant.

'You know we can never convince him.' Sayuri said and Tsuzuki smiled.

'I know. Still, that doesn't mean no one can convince him right?' he looked at the direction where Shinichi and Kaoru were running after Sara in a game of tag.

* * *

Utsuki was flipping through her records of the spirits and monsters she exorcised. For some reason, her mind suddenly wandered to the time when she was saved by an unknown person while fighting with monsters in the mansion. (refer Chapter 45) From the way the person attacked and defended against the monsters and also the way the person swiftly ran up the wall and jump over the fence she could tell that the mysterious person is very strong. She shook her head. She isn't supposed to be thinking about this at the moment. She have more important matters at her hand.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door.

'Come in.' two person went in.

'Ahh...Marco, Miss Jeanne. Is there anything I can help you?'

'We were wondering if you are able to find anything regarding the spirit who possessed Isabella.'

'Sadly, I couldn't find anything in all my records. What about you, did you find anything Miss Jeanne?'

'As we have no clue as to how she looks like...I'm afraid not.'

'Not to worry Jeanne-sama, we'll definitely be able to find something as long as we don't give up.' Marco said to comfort Jeanne.

'Marco's right. If we keep this up, I'm sure we'll be able to find the culprit soon.'

Just then, the door barged open revealing Mrs. Avery.

'Utsuki! Jeanne! You won't believe this! Isa knows the person who's possessed her!'

'What?' Utsuki stood up and Marco and Jeanne stared at her with disbelieve.

* * *

Everyone sat down on the dining table as they focused their attention at Opacho who was too busy demolishing her riceballs to actually notice anything. Shiro stared at the girl warily. She's practically swallowing the riceballs.

'O-Opacho, slow down and chew properly. If you eat too fast you'll get choked.' Shiro said gently. As soon as he said that however, Opacho choked on the riceballs. Shiro passed her a glass of water which she drank it eagerly. Shiro heave a sigh of relief.

**'Just when I said it...' **Shiro thought and sighed mentally. Suddenly, he noticed Yoh staring at him from the corner of his eyes but once they made an eye contact Yoh quickly turned away. Shiro gave him a questioning look.

**['What's wrong Yoh?'] **Shiro thought to him mentally.

**['Eh? N-Nothing!']** Shiro continued staring at Opacho. Yoh stared at Opacho who was chomping on the riceballs.

**'Shiro-nii sure is nice to Opacho...'** Yoh thought to himself as he couldn't help but feel envious at Opacho. Shiro never seemed to have that much concern towards him like he did with Opacho or Fyra or Sephira. It made him wish that he was younger by a few years. Maybe then Shiro would care for him a little more. Hao who heard his thoughts stared at him from the corner of his eyes.

'Geez...why is it that the way you treat the kids are so disparate from us?' Haruka voiced Yoh's thoughts.

'Hmmm...Who knows?' Shiro shrugged.

_Ring! Ring!_

Luchist and Haruka took out their respective cellphone.

'Umm...It's mine.' Haruka told Luchist and answered his phone.

'Hello? Luke!' Haruka exclaimed and began speaking in English to the Luke person.

'Luke...why does that name sounds so familiar...' Shiro muttered to himself.

'He's the captain of the football club Yuu.' Karin said.

'Oh...The captain of the football club.'

'No way! You're in Japan? Okay...Uh-huh...Uh-huh...' Shiro and Hao stared at Haruka who was grinning from ear to ear. Once he was done talking, he turned to Shiro and Hao.

'You'll never guess guys! Luke and his family's-'

'-in Japan. We heard that.' Shiro replied monotonously.

'That's not all! He said they'll be here for the week and that they were going to visit Isabella, our Nishimura family and also the Yoshifumi family as well! Isn't that great?' Shiro glanced at Haruka before turning to Luchist.

'Luchist, I think I'll be staying here for the week if its okay with you.' Shiro said and Luchist blinked.

'Ummm...sure.' He replied and Haruka gawked at him.

'Aw..come on! You can't just be 'M.I.A.' the whole week!'

**'M.I.A.?' **Yoh thought to himself wondering what it meant.

'It's an abbreviation to the term 'Missing In Action' Yoh.' Hao answered as he read his mind.

'Oh...wait! You mean you're not going to meet that Luke person?'

'Sort of.'

'Why? Wouldn't it be great to have more friends?' Keiko asked and Shiro stared at her for a moment.

'I don't need many friends. Just a few will do.' he answered. Haruka's vein popped and he slammed the table.

'THAT'S EXACTLY WHY YOU HAVE SO LITTLE FRIENDS!'

'Oh yeah...I just remembered I haven't launder the clothes. I'll be right back.' he went out of the room with that being said.

'Yuu wait! Yuu! YUU!'

'Forget it, Haruka. It's fultile no matter how you look at it.' Hao said.

'Geez...that nincompoop...' Haruka pouted. Unknown to them, someone have slipped out of the room.

* * *

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Isabella sighed.

'Come in.'

The door opened but to Isabella's surprise, it was an all too familiar person who wasn't supposed to be here in Japan that was standing in front of her.

'LUKE!'

'Surprise!' Luke said and went to hug her.

'I can't believe you're actually here in Japan Luke! When did you get here?'

'Well, I got here since yesterday. Guess what, little Lily is here too.'

'Really? That's great!' Isabella said smiling and Luke smiled as well.

'I take it that you're fine now?' Luke asked and she nodded.

'I was possessed and now that she's left, things are probably back to normal. Of course, it still feel frustrating knowing I was close to failing the exam.'

'Don't worry, you're just a little bit worn out back then. You'll do fine next time. I'm sure of it.' he patted her shoulder.

'Thanks. By the way, anyone else came here with you?'

'Yeah...Jessica, Adriana and Claire managed to persuade their family to come to Japan and visit you. Of course, using the same tactics I used on my dad.' Luke smiled mischievously.

'What did you do this time?' Isabella asked with a warning tone in her voice.

'Easy, I just need to tell them the Yoshifumi family and the Nishimura family are temporary residing here and in a flash we're all heading to Japan.'

'You WHAT? What are you thinking?' Isabella squeaked.

'Well, those two family are as influential as our family so surely our parents wanted to get along with them. Plus, as long as we all keep our distance between Yuuji Yoshifumi everything should be going smoothly.' Luke said although his voice didn't sound convincing.

'I doubt Jessica can do that. It's way too close for her to be able to refrain herself.' Isabella said knowing that the girl was secretly head over heels in love with Yuuji despite his completely non-sociable behaviour. Luke shrugged.

'She'll give up eventually. Yuuji's way too frightening to be the intimate kind of boyfriend anyway. Plus, he rarely talks with anyone besides Fuyuki. I don't even know how his voice sounded like now that I thought about it.' Luke said as he realized that Yuuji have never talked to him at all. Isabella smiled.

'His is voice similar with Fuyuki's but his tone is a little bit more softer and calmer.'

'Hmm...I think I can slightly guess how his voice is like...wait, he actually TALKED to you?' Luke stared at her in surprise.

'Only a few times though. It's too hard communicate with him.' she shrugged.

'Should have known...you are very friendly to everyone after all.' Luke said. As soon as he said that, a girl barged in through the door.

'Hi Isabella!' the little girl said smiling cheerfully.

'Hello Lily.' Isabella said smiling as well.

* * *

Shiro stared up the sky filled with gray clouds as he stood at an open area in the shrine. He didn't know why but somehow it felt as if something bad is going to happen today. He had been having this menacing feeling ever since he woke up after passing out while healing Mikihisa's face. He thought it was because he used up too much power but that didn't seem to be the case as the feeling seems to have gotten stronger now.

'I thought you said you were going to do the laundry.' Emily's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

'Well, I just remembered that the laundry has been done this morning.' Shiro turned away and the girl rolled her eyes.

'You're a poor liar you know that?' Shiro blinked and turn to stare at her.

'It's written all over your face.' she said. Shiro looked away.

'I don't understand you at all. Why reject those that are reaching out to you? I could understand the problem with your parents, but why reject the idea of having friends?' It was more of a demand rather than a question.

**'No one ever befriended me even when I want them to.'** she thought begrudgingly. She was completely taken aback when Shiro stared at her with an anguished expression.

'I'm not any other ordinary person Emily. For that reason, I will cause harm to them.' Emily rolled her eyes again.

'Come on, you're strong. Not to mention your brother's Hao. You both can always protect them.'

'I'm not all that strong Emily. There's a whole lot more people who are stronger than I am. Also, even if I really am strong, I could never protect them no matter how hard I try. Even if I put my life on the line.'

'How do you know? You haven't even try.' Emily retorted and Shiro smiled wryly.

'Trust me, I've learnt my lesson the hard way so I know where I stand. Besides, did you really think they'll ever treat me the same way if they find out what I am? You could see spirits so I think you should know it better than I do what happens when someone finds out that you aren't truly normal.' That shut her up. Silence enveloped the two for a short moment.

'Emily, rather than seeing those around me getting hurt, I'd rather be the one that's hurt.' He said with a resolute look as he clenched his fists. Emily stared at him for long moments and for some unknown reason, she couldn't help but feel envious for Hao for even someone like him has a person who cares for him a lot. Probably to the extent he was ready to die for him. Her mind drifted into her memories of the past when her father still used to love her before her stepmother came and turn her world upside down. If something were to happen to her at that time, would her father ever put his life on the line for her sake? Probably not.

Suddenly, she felt unable to move.

'Emily!' Shiro called out to the girl. She keeled over but Shiro caught her just in time.

'Emily, are you alright? What's wrong?' She looked up into Shiro's worried eyes.

'My body felt numb...like that time in the aquarium...' she said and Shiro's eyes widened with disbelief as her spirit was expelled out of the body. She floated away from the place and judging by Emily's expression she wasn't doing it out of her own will.

'Emily!' Shiro chased after her all the while carrying her soulless body.

'Shiro!' She reached out her hand to him but he was too far away to reach her. Shiro came to a halt as she stared at Emily who was floating further and further away.

'What on earth...' Suddenly, realisation dawned upon him.

'Shiro-nii!' Yoh called out to him and he turned to his younger brother. Amidamaru was floating beside him. Shiro rushed towards them and passed Emily's temporary body to Yoh.

'Yoh, please take care of this body. I need to go after Emily.' Yoh nodded.

'Shiro-nii, you should head straight to Mr. Avery's place.' Yoh said and Shiro blinked.

'Jeanne doesn't know how to exorcise a soul much less how to summon one. The priest working for Mr. Avery are the only ones could have summoned her soul Shiro-nii. All you need to do is to stop the summoning process and she should be able to return to this body again. After all, this body was originally hers.' Yoh continued and Shiro was stunned. He didn't remember telling him anything about where he got the body. Yoh merely smiled.

'You better hurry up before it's too late Shiro-nii.'

'Eh? O-Okay.' Shiro nodded and rushed to Mr. Avery's house like Yoh told him despite his confusion. Once he was out of sight, Amidamaru turned to Yoh.

'Yoh-dono, are you not going with him?' he asked.

'Judging from what I've learn while living with him, he wouldn't have let me if I asked.'

'What are you going to do then?' Yoh thought for a moment.

'Let's just wait for him.'

* * *

'What's going on?' Mr. Avery asked Jeanne when he came out of the house with Sayuri and Tsuzuki. The three were wondering the same thing as Utsuki was chanting while standing in the center of a strange symbol that was drawn on the floor.

'The culprit possessing your daughter has been identified. Utsuki is currently summoning her soul. Once the summoning is complete, we the X-Laws shall obliterate it.' the girl replied.

'O-Obliterate? But you don't have to go that far Miss Jeanne.' Sayuri said.

'We were only following orders from Mrs. Avery.' Marco told her.

'Kate did?' Mr. Avery asked.

'I thought it was the best decision for Isabella.' Mrs. Avery said.

Sayuri stared at the ritual going on. She was sure Yuu would disagree with the obliteration part if he was here. After all, he values life and souls very much. If it was Yuu doing the work, he would have instead help them overcome their regrets to pass on to the other world. However, to help them overcome their regrets in life was not an easy feat. Which is why she would have also done the same thing as Isabella's mother if she was given a choice between the two option.

'Here it comes.' one of the priests said as Emily's spirit came floating towards the mansion. Tsuzuki and Sayuri blinked in surprise. The culprit was all but a mere child. The priests and the X-Laws were just as confused.

'You've got to be kidding.' Kate muttered.

'Are you sure you invoked the right spell?' Marco asked Utsuki who shot him a glare.

'I've done this for years for your information.' she replied coldly.

Utsuki sealed Emily in a barrier. Suddenly, Utsuki's barrier malfunctioned and went undone. Marco summoned his angel and attacked Emily before she could run. A water barrier surrounded Emily and protected her from receiving the blow.

'Who's there?' Marco called out and looked around the place. Jeanne sighed and walked towards a tree nearby and looked up.

'Please come out. I know you're there.' she said calmly. The leaves rustled and Shiro landed gracefully a few inches in front of her.

'Yuu!' Mr. Avery, Tsuzuki and Sayuri called out at the same time.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?' Everyone except Shiro winced at the loudness of Mrs. Avery's voice. Shiro stared at her with an unreadable expression.

'I'm here to take her back.' He answered monotonously as he pointed at Emily who was still in the water barrier.

'WHAT?' Everyone exclaimed incredulously.

'I'm here to take her back.' he repeated monotonously. There was a moment of silence.

'I KNEW IT! YOU DEVIL'S CHILD! IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG! YOU WERE THE MINDMASTER BEHIND ALL THIS!' Mrs. Avery shrieked but the boy remained unaffected making her even angrier than she already was.

'Mrs. Avery, please calm down. There must be an explanation as to what's going on-'

'TSUZUKI, YOU BELIEVED TOO MUCH IN HIM! HE ALREADY TOOK ADVANTAGE ON MY BELOVED ISABELLA! WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO BE EXPLAINED?' Mrs. Avery demanded.

'Yuu, please say something!' Tsuzuki turned to Shiro with an exasperated expression.

'Something.' Shiro replied instantly and everyone burst into laughter and giggles except for Tsuzuki and Mrs. Avery who was completely at a loss of words.

'YUU! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!' Tsuzuki bellowed at him knowing he was goofing around.

'STOP FOOLING AROUND WITH ME YOU DEVIL!' Mrs. Avery yelled.

'But didn't he asked me to-'

'UTSUKIIIII! JEANNEEEE! GET HIMMMMM!' Mrs. Avery's shrill voice cut Shiro off.

'Eh?' the two said girls were utterly confused.

'Uhhh...Mrs. Avery, they are here to obliterate spirits. By asking them to obliterate me, aren't you breaching the rules of your contract between them?'

'SHUT UP! YOU'RE ANNOYING! GET LOST! SCRAM!'

'If you say so...' He grabbed a stick on the floor and rushed towards the circle where Utsuki was standing. On the way, he ran past Emily and took that opportunity to seal her spirit in a mortuary tablet he had been hiding just in case. He swung the stick at Utsuki who darted to the left. Surprisingly, after dodging the attack he ran past her and swiftly ran up the wall and jump over the fence. Everyone stared at the wall in surprise. It took them a few moments to finally digest in what really happened.

'Utsuki-sama, t-that technique...' one of the priestess said as she remembered seeing this scene before.

'Everyone watch out!' Meene said as she pointed to a dynamite Shiro left at Utsuki's previous standing position-the exact centre of the strange symbol carved on the floor.

_BOOM!_

The entire area outside the house was covered with smoke. Everyone rushed in the house coughing all the way. As soon as they entered into the house, Mrs. Avery turned to Tsuzuki.

'SEE? I TOLD YOU HE WAS A DEVIL'S CHILD! HE NEARLY KILLED US!' Mrs. Avery glared at him.

'No. He wasn't targeting us.' Everyone turned to Jeanne.

'Jeanne is right. Look over there.' Utsuki pointed at the window. Everyone turned to see what they meant and they quickly understood. The smoke had cleared up but there was no particular damage done anywhere.

'It was a smoke screen.' Porf said in realisation.

'So he wasn't joking about it when he said he came to take her back...' Jeanne said.

'Yes, and he had also planned for us to leave the place from the very beginning.' Utsuki continued.

'Why would he want to do that?' Sayuri asked. As soon as she finished saying that, a beam of light surged towards the symbol on the floor and exploded blasting away everything in that area leaving a small, bowl-shaped impact crater outside the house.

'It's a good thing he made sure we were inside the house.' Sayuri said after a short moment of silence.

'What's going on?' Everyone turned at the sound of Isabella's voice.

'Isa, you shouldn't be out of bed!' Mrs. Avery ran towards her daughter worriedly.

'Mom, I'm fine already!' Isabella said feeling exasperated and Lily who was standing behind smiled as she heard the conversation.

'What was that loud noise anyway?' Lily asked.

'HOLY COW! THERE'S A CRATER OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE ISABELLA!' Luke exclaimed as he peered through the window.

'WHAT?' Isabella exclaimed at the same time and ran towards the window to see if it was true. Lily followed her.

'Whoa...cool...I didn't know your house get hit by meteors.' Lily turned to Isabella with an amazed expression.

'What on earth...b-but how?' Isabella turned to her mother who was now frowning.

'Yuu did it.'

'YUU?' Their eyes widened.

* * *

Shiro stood among a group of people that are gathered in front of the stoplight, waiting to cross the street despite there weren't any cars zooming by due to the snowfall. Though, the sidewalk had remain crowded albeit the cold weather. The pedestrian light turned green a few moments later and Shiro hurriedly crossed the street to the other side while the people on the other side crossed over to this side. He walked past the crowd as fast as he can knowing that he can't afford to stay too long in crowded areas. Much to his surprise, he saw Amidamaru waving to him at the other side of the road. As he was a spirit, he stood out among the crowd. He dash towards him and saw Hao and Yoh together with him when he got to opposite side of the road. Amidamaru have apparently disappeared however.

'What are you two doing here?'

'We've been waiting for you Shiro-nii.' Yoh answered and he blinked in surprise.

'You were waiting...for me?' He said still feeling surprised.

'Of course! Who else will we be waiting for?' Hao said.

'By the way, Otou-san and Kaa-san already went back to the inn with Tamao-chan while Yukino, Haruka, Karin, Lyserg and Manta went back to their respective home. Also, Emily's back in her body again so Luchist and Opacho are currently taking care of her.' Yoh informed Shiro.

Shiro stared at the two blankly not really knowing what to do. This was the first time someone actually waited for him. Normally, he was the one doing all the waiting. Not only that, by seeing their smiling faces it had somehow triggered a warm and fuzzy feeling inside of him. It was a nostalgic warm feeling that he hadn't been able to experience ever since that incident had happened. Nevertheless, his emotions made him feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden knowing they are focusing their attention on him.

'Shiro-nii, a-are you alright?' Yoh asked as Shiro had a strange funny look on his face out of a sudden. Shiro looked down to stare at his boots. Hao instantly knew what was happening to his younger brother at the moment. He began to walk towards him and stood in front of him causing Shiro to look up again. That was when Yoh noticed that Hao was actually slightly taller than Shiro.

'You must be cold.' He took off the scarf he was wearing around his neck and use it to wrap around Shiro's neck.

**['Use it to cover your face.']** Hao mentally told the boy while favoring him a knowing smile.

**['Thank you.']** Shiro replied mentally and Hao could hear the shyness in his tone of voice as of now. His smile grew wider at that. He decided to lend him a hand so he entwined his left hand with Shiro's right hand and lead him away. Yoh followed and walked beside Shiro. While walking, Hao glanced at Shiro's slightly troubled expression.

'Let's go get some good hot chocolate at the stall you told me about.' Hao said.

'Eh?'

'You know...the one you went with Tamao-chan while buying groceries when you're supposed to be staying on bed...' Hao said with a hint of sarcasm and Shiro sweatdropped.

'O-Oh...that one...but it's somewhere quite far from here.' Shiro frowned.

'I don't mind walking a little bit further Shiro-nii.' Yoh interrupted the two.

'R-Really?' Shiro turned to Yoh who nodded and smiled. He quickly turned away feeling uneasy all over again. Hao smiled and continued walking.

When they arrived at the stall, Shiro waved at the friendly old lady who instantly recognized him and waved back. Though, she was slightly taken aback when she saw the other two boys that looks identical to Shiro.

'Hello. How are you obaa-san?'

'I'm fine child. Are they your brothers?' Shiro nodded. Yoh smiled and waved at her while Hao her gave a small bow.

'Oh my...you three looked so identical to one another!' She said.

'We're triplets.' Hao answered and Yoh and Shiro blinked at him.

'I see...You three are really lucky children. Identical triplets are extremely rare. Let me guess, you are the eldest one.' she asked Hao who nodded.

'Then the youngest one is...you.' she pointed at Yoh who nodded. She favored the three a kind smile.

'Alright then, since you've come all the way here. As promised, here's your treat.' She passed a tray filled with three cups of hot chocolate to the three of them.

'Thank you obaa-san!' Shiro smiled gratefully as they each took a cup of hot chocolate.

'This hot chocolate is pretty good.' Hao admitted after taking a sip.

'See? I told you so...Was it good Yoh?' Shiro said earning a nod from Yoh.

* * *

Luke and Isabella had a comical expression on her face as soon as they both finished listening to Mrs. Avery's explanation of what happened. They were currently in the living room. The ones present besides Isabella's mother and father are Tsuzuki and Sayuri as they knew they could find out more about what happened to Yuu when he was in school. Lily meanwhile was completely fascinated by the crater and so was looking at the crater outside the house while being under the supervision of the X-Laws much to Marco's annoyance. The other priests on the other hand are practicing their skills in the training room while Utsuki try to think of a plan to summon Emily again without having to face Shiro.

'Okay...let me get this straight, Yuu trespassed our house...saved the spirit that was previously possessing me...and destroyed the area outside our house leaving that mini 'meteor crater' over there.' Isabella pointed to the crater outside the house and her mother nodded.

'Yes...and from the look in your eyes I can tell that you don't believe me.' Her mother said and Isabella sighed.

'I'm sorry mom. It's just that...it didn't make sense at all. You see, the Yuu you were currently talking about and the Yuu I met at school are completely different. Not only that, Yuu disliked getting attention from everyone. That's why, it's practically impossible for him to do something so...flashy.' Isabella explained.

'Please, that boy wreaks havoc at school. It was obvious he wanted attention. How could you actually say something like that Isabella?' Her mother said. Tsuzuki and Sayuri glanced at each other worriedly.

'Mom, he did not wreak havoc at school. He just get a little aggresive sometimes. Plus, when did he cause troubles anyway?'

'Ummm...Isabella, if my memory was correct he turned the whole library into a hell of a mess some time ago although everyone have no idea how he did it. Plus, there are rumors that he was the one who destroyed our school windows some time ago.' Luke whispered to her.

'Luke, that's accusing. There is no prove he was the one who destroyed the windows. Nobody knew who did it in the first place. Plus, the windows already have cracks on it so it's not surprising they broke.'

'Well, he was there the night before it happened and I think that is all I need for prove since the CCTV recorded it.' Her mother interrupted them.

'Mom, there are other students there besides Yuu the night before it happened.' Isabella retorted.

'Fine, point taken. However, I'm sure you don't know about this Isa, Yuu got into fights with other students where he used a stun gun to attack the student causing the student to be hospitalized.' Isabella, Luke, Tsuzuki and Sayuri gasped. They never heard anything about this. They turned to Mr. Avery whose face had turned pale.

'How come we've never heard about anything like that in school!' Luke asked.

'We kept it a secret from everyone because it'll ruin our school reputation.' She replied.

'You're wrong mother. Yuu didn't attack the guy, that guy got attacked by his own friend by accident.' Mrs. Avery raised her eyebrows.

'How did you know? You're not even there. The only one there was your father. Plus, Yuu already admitted by himself that he was the one who did it.'

'WHAT?' Isabella squeaked.

'You heard me.' Mrs. Avery's face was smug as she had clearly won the battle. Isabella turned to his father who looked away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'If I were you mom, I wouldn't believe what he said. Which criminal on earth admits the crimes he did when asked? Only when the criminal was being tortured that they revealed everything out of fear. Knowing Yuu, he would NEVER do such a thing. He is a very disciplined person. That's why he was elected as the vice president of student council in school. There must be a reason why he admitted to his crime.'

'He was only elected because the election took place before all that problem started. If the election were to take place now, I don't think his name would even be suggested.'

'True. Even so...the trouble he caused at school was never really his fault to start with. I'm sure many of the students in school would have agreed with me if they were here because they saw it too. The others were the ones who were picking on him. Right Luke?' Isabella asked and Luke nodded.

'Oh Isa...Why would someone hit people for no reason? He must have done something to piss them off.' her mother retorted.

'Yuu would never do anything to provoke people's anger mom. They were picking on him because they were jealous. Both Yuu and Fuyuki were very smart and therefore very popular among the students. However, Yuu's unsociable behaviour drove everyone away from him. That caused him to be easily bullied by the others.'

'Yuu bullied by the others? Isabella, I think you've got it backwards.' Luke said nervously.

* * *

Hao, Yoh, and Shiro were walking side by side with each other when Yoh and Hao were suddenly stopped midway by Shiro who stopped walking and remained rooted on the spot.

'Is there something wrong Shiro?' Hao stared at the blinking boy who was staring at another direction and followed his gaze. Yoh did the same but he saw was a leafless tree illuminated by blue lights. Shiro walked towards the tree and stared at it as if he had never seen a tree before.

'Why is the tree glowing?' Shiro asked and Yoh fell over.

'The trees aren't glowing Shiro-kun. They are illuminated by LED lights.' Yoh explained.

'LED...as in light emitting diode?' Shiro asked and Yoh nodded. Shiro took a closer look and that was when he saw the thin wires.

'Oh...so that's what it is...' Shiro muttered to himself. Yoh stared at Shiro feeling confused. Just then, the answer dawned on Yoh.

'Oh yeah...This is your first time celebrating Christmas right, Shiro-nii?' Yoh asked earning a nod from his brother.

That was when he realized all over again that Shiro had just came to live not too long ago.

'Do you know what Christmas is about then?' Yoh asked.

'Umm, honestly...I don't really know anything about Christmas...I only knew they are going to decorate Christmas trees and I want to see it.' Shiro answered.

'You've never seen a Christmas tree before?'

'Well...I've seen them in pictures. Does that count?' Silence enveloped them as they focused their gaze on Shiro.

'What?' Shiro asked.

'Poor guy...' Hao said playfully and shook his head. Yoh couldn't help but nod in agreement.

'Well sorry for having a shorter life experience.' Shiro pouted surprising Yoh. Yoh smiled.

'Don't worry Shiro-nii. There should be a huge one somewhere in the city.' Yoh said grinning but Shiro seemed troubled instead.

'What's wrong?' Yoh asked.

'Shiro-sama doesn't like being in crowded places.' Fyra said and poked his head out of the knapsack Shiro was carrying surprising everyone even Shiro himself.

'Fyra, when did you got in there?' Shiro asked as he placed his knapsack on the floor. No wonder it felt heavier than usual...

'Well, you wouldn't let us come so we just sneak in the bag since you'll have it with you all the time when you go out somewhere.' Sephira said as she poked her head out of the knapsack as well.

'Sephira, not you too!'

'Man, it sure is stuffy in here.'

'Of course it is! Bags are used to keep objects, not kids. Gosh, how did you two even fit in there?' Shiro lifted them out of the knapsack and took a good look into the bag.

'Huh? Where's all my stuff?' He inverted the knapsack and shook it but nothing came out.

'We took them out so that they won't get in the way.' They replied simultaneously. Shiro heave a sigh and stares at the two for a moment before he shook his head. Seriously, there's no helping these two...

'Umm...Sorry to interrupt but was it true what they said Shiro-nii? That you don't like crowded places?'

'Of course. Even I can guarantee it.' Hao said.

'Why?'

'Because...I couldn't help but feel like an outcast whenever I'm in the crowd.' Shiro admitted as he slung his now empty knapsack over his shoulders. Of course, his unknown ability of mind-reading was the main part of the cause but he can't really tell him can he? Plus, the answer wasn't entirely false as he had always had this strange, lonely feeling when he looked at the people interacting with each other around him. Especially the way certain group of students chatted amiably while walking at the sidewalk in a small group and the way some parents had held their child's hand when they crossed the street...It made him feel so empty with loneliness at times. The fact that he was a shaman and not any ordinary human being didn't really help either.

'It's okay Shiro-nii. It happens most of the time when I was young. Trust me. You'll get used to it after a while so don't worry, everything will work out.' Yoh said casually and flashed Shiro his trademark smile.

'I sure hope so...Even though I was out of the house more often than when I was in the house, up until today I still haven't got used to being near crowded areas.' Shiro shrugged and walked away looking slightly depressed.

'It's not about the amount of time you spent outside or inside the house that matters Shiro-nii, it's the places you go often that matters you know...' Yoh said as he followed after Shiro and kept up with his pace beside him.

'Mind to tell me why is that?' Shiro asked as he gave his younger brother a look that says he's not convinced by his statement.

'While its true you leave house very often, you seldom go to crowded areas. Instead, you prefer to go to isolated places to find some peace of mind and because of that, you became uncomfortable when going to places with lots of people because of the different atmosphere over there. The crowded places have a very lively atmosphere that contradicted with the peaceful atmosphere from the places you go all the time. As a result, you came to dislike being in crowded places.' Yoh answered simply and Shiro blinked.

'What makes you think I go isolated places often?' Shiro asked.

'Well, for one, you love nature as much as Hao and I do. Secondly, your house are always located somewhere isolated. Finally, Hao disliked going to the cities. Based on everything I've just said, the answer is quite obvious you know. Right Hao?' the two stared at him completely surprised.

'What?' Yoh asked looking confused.

'You know...I'm beginning to notice that you seemed to know more than you let on...' Shiro said.

'Agree.' Hao continued. Yoh smiled.

'Well...aren't you just the same Shiro-nii, Hao-nii? Hiding the fact that you're both shamans from Isabella's family.'

'It can't be helped...' Hao said.

'Anyway, back to our first topic. You two should go to the cities more often.'

'Sure. In fact, we can start going right now. You want to see Christmas trees right Shiro?' Hao asked to Shiro but much to his surprise, Shiro fell on his knees.

'Shiro!'

'Shiro-nii!'

'Shiro-sama!'

Shiro clutched his head in pain.

* * *

The journey home was unusually quiet today. The butler looked at the rear view mirror of the car and saw Lily and Luke sitting strangely far apart from each other in the back seat of the luxurious limousine though it is quite understandable. Ever since they left Isabella's house, Luke had a strange expression on his face for some unknown reason.

'So, did you have fun with Miss Isabella today, Master Luke, Mistress Lily?' the butler asked trying to broke the silence in the car.

'Yeah! It was really fun! Since Isabella's back to normal, we talked with Isabella about a whole lot of things today! Oh oh...and Isabella's house had this really huge crater outside her house it was really cool!' Lily said childishly.

'Was the crater big?'

'Well, its not all that big.' the butler laughed. Kids these days sure have a high level of imagination.

'What about you Master Luke? Did you have fun?' the boy didn't respond.

'Master Luke, is there something bothering you?'

'Eh? Ah...Umm...I'm fine. Just thinking about things...' was his reply.

'I see. Well...we're home.' the butler told the two as the car came to a halt. Two servants holding an umbrella waiting for their arrival immediately opened the door for the two. After they got out, the servants closed the car door and walked them to the entrance of the mansion while holding the umbrella above their heads. They stopped in front of the door and the servants opened the door for them to enter.

'Welcome home Master Luke, Mistress Lily.' the many servants who stood in two rows beside the red carpet greeted them as they walked in the house.

'Mom!' Lily ran towards her mother who had been waiting at the end of the row of servants and hugged her.

'Were you waiting for us?' Luke asked and her mother nodded.

'Dinner's ready and your father is waiting.'

* * *

As soon as they were done with their talk and the kids left their room, Tsuzuki locked the door and switched off the lights leaving only a small amount of light that was emitted from the lamp on the night stand to lead him through the darkness of the room. He went to sit on the bed with Sayuri who turned to his husband worriedly.

'Tsuzuki, are you sure it's okay to do this?' Sayuri asked knowing he shouldn't be doing what he have done.

'Well...this is the only way I can think of to thwart their plans. While Fuyuki might be furious when he knew about it, I doubt he can do anything. They both were after all our son literally and they were using the documents we gave them. Though, Yuu might get a little bit...unhappy about it.' Tsuzuki said as he lifted up a fully filled up form on the nightstand which entitled 'Application for School Admission' where a passport sized picture of Shiro is seen at the top right side of the form.

'I just hope they'll understand that we're doing this for the their sake...' Sayuri rested her head on his chest.

'They'll understand Sayuri. I mean come on...international private school are way better than those normal schools and its not like we can't afford to send them there. Though I'm not sure if Yuu knew about that. Plus, we need to provide them with good education if we are going to adopt them.'

'True enough...we'll look like bad parents if they're studying in some mediocre school when Shinichi and the rest are studying in St. Mary right?'

'Anyway, the news should reach them by tomorrow and when it does, they will be coming to get this back. When that time comes, I'm counting on you.'

'Don't forget about the kids. You're counting on them as well.'

'I know. Rest assured, they'll do everything they can.'

'They definitely will. For now, let's rest. We've had a long day.'

'You're right.' Tsuzuki placed down the form on the nightstand and closed the light at the night stand.

* * *

He was all alone in an unknown place. He looked around the place. He was in the middle of a forest. The sky was dark so he can't help but felt uneasy. He grabbed a thick branch on the ground and formed a torch with it. He walked past the forest warily.

'Aniki? Yoh? Are you there?' there was no answer.

'Fyra? Sephira?' no answer again.

'A-Anyone?'

'Where is everybody?' he asked himself.

'Yuu.' Shiro nearly jumped out of his skin at the mention of his name but once he saw a familiar person standing there Shiro sighed in relief.

'You almost scared me to death Hikari.' Shiro said. It seemed like she was waiting for him. Hikari smiled but somehow her smile didn't seem as cheerful as it usually does.

'Come with me.' She said and walked away. Shiro followed her.

'Where are we? How did I get here?'

'You'll get your answers soon enough. Right now, follow me or else you'll be lost.'

After walking for about thirty minutes, they arrived in front of a big cave where Hikari entered but Shiro halted and stood in front of the cave. Hikari stopped and turned when she realised he wasn't following her.

'What's the matter?'

'Umm...do I have to go in?' Shiro said. The darkness of the cave and its damp walls made him feel uneasy as it reminded him of things he wished he didn't remember.

'Of course. Is there any problem with that?'

'N-No!' He said and bravely walked inside the cave all the while holding tightly onto his torch. Hikari continue walking very casually while Shiro stayed closely behind her while looking in all directions cautiously. However, the damp walls and the darkness in the cave are beginning to instill some fear in him.

'You are afraid of the dark aren't you?' Hikari asked.

'As much as I hate to admit it...yes. I have really bad memories of being in dark and damp places like this cave. No matter how hard I tried to overcome it, the fear just won't go away. It's really annoying.' Shiro said and she smiled.

'That is not a weakness that should ever be possessed by a shaman like you do you know that?' Shiro felt like he had just been jabbed by a sharp knife straight in the heart. He knew clearly well what she said was entirely true but being told that straight out like that is just...

'However, it takes courage to know your own bounds. Although you were a shaman you did not deny the fact that you feared the darkness.'

'Umm...is that a compliment or an insult?'

'We're here.' Hikari said completely ignoring his previous question. Shiro looked ahead and saw a bracelet placed on a stone table. Hikari took the necklace and held up Shiro's free hand that wasn't holding the torch before putting the bracelet on the palm of his hand. Then, she folded his fingers so that they were bent against his palm closing the palm of his hands and containing the bracelet she gave him. Shiro looked at her confused.

'Hikari-'

'Take this. It will help her to either live on or pass onto the afterlife.' She said cutting him off. Shiro's eyes widened.

'How did you know?' He asked.

'You'll get your answers soon enough...' She said and disappeared in a gust of wind.

'Hikari wait!'

Shiro opened his eyes and saw Yoh and Hao staring at him from above.

'Shiro! Thank god you're alright! ' Hao hugged him tightly as relief washed over him. Yoh joined in the hugging and sighed in relief as well.

'I'm sorry Aniki, Yoh...I...' Shiro blinked. He looked around him.

'How did I end up in my room?'

'Well...you suddenly fainted so Hao carried you all the way back. Also...' Yoh lifted up a mirror in front of him and Shiro gasped. His hair was white and his eyeballs had turned blue in color. Hao sighed.

'You must have overused your powers while saving Emily in the mansion. Geez...I kept on telling you not to overuse your powers and you never listened. Now look what happened. You changed, even without the help of water.'

'Sorry Aniki...I guess I really overused it a bit this time.'

'You know...There's some slight difference in the way Shiro-nii's eye changed though. The last time I saw when his eyes changed the sclera of his eyes had also turned from whitish color to sky blue and his brown orbs were narrowed in a strange way like those of a cat. Now, only the eyeballs turned blue and the sclera remained white.' Yoh said still holding the mirror.

'Now that you mentioned it...you're right Yoh.' Shiro said as he peered at his own reflection in the mirror.

'That aside, what happened Shiro?' Hao asked with a serious expression.

'Eh?' Shiro turned to Hao confused.

'Yeah...what really happened?' Yoh placed down the mirror and stared at Shiro with a worried expression.

'Well, I had this strange vision where...' Shiro's voice trailed off as he felt one of his hands holding onto something. He held up his hand and that was when he realized that his hand were clenched into a ball of fists. He undo his fists and could not believe his eyes when he saw the bracelet Hikari gave him on the palm of his hands.

'Are you okay Shiro-nii? You looked a little bit pale.' Yoh asked. Shiro showed them the bracelet.

'Where did you get that Shiro?' Hao asked as he had don't remember seeing that bracelet before.

'Umm...you see...'

Shiro began to explain everything he saw in his dream while Yoh and Hao listened to him attentively.

'So, what are you going to do Shiro? The fact that you're holding the bracelet right now meant that dream you're having before was no ordinary dream.' Hao said.

'I'm not sure. I don't know much about Emily's past. I only know of the bits and pieces. She wouldn't open up to me either so I don't really know how to help her pass on...'

'Wait...you were planning to help her pass on all this while?' Yoh asked.

'Yes, but the only problem is...I don't know how. What do you think I was planning to do?'

'I thought you were planning to revive her.'

'No, not this time. While I've only seen a small part of her memories in life it was enough to convince me to send her into the afterlife than to let her suffer once again under the wrath of her ruthless stepmother.' Shiro said firmly.

'What did you see?' Yoh asked.

'Ummm...well...'

'It's something you're better off not knowing Yoh.' Hao answered quickly as he noticed Shiro's pale expression.

'Why not?' Yoh pouted.

'Because I said so.' was the pyroshaman's reply.

'What kind of a reason is that?'

'Just forget it Yoh. It's no use arguing with Aniki. You'll never win against his unreasonable logic. I've experienced it before so I know it.' Shiro said and smiled. Yoh returned the smile.

'Anyway, let's just put Emily aside for today. We have other things at hand.' Hao interrupted the two smiling.

'Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!' Yoh said in realisation.

'What did you forget?' Yoh grinned.

'Don't worry. You'll find out soon Shiro-nii.' Shiro shot him a questioning look.

* * *

Isabella stood on the balcony of her room as she watched the darkness of the night. It was really cold outside but the coldness doesn't seem to bother her in any way. The argument had been long over and Luke, Lily, Tsuzuki and Sayuri have returned to their respective home. She sighed as she thought of the time when she argued with her mother. In the end, she had lost that argument to her mother much to her annoyance. She failed to understand why her mother despised Yuu so much. It's not like he was her arch enemy or anything.

She smiled at the thought of Yuu. Although she couldn't remember anything that had happened when she was being possessed, she had a vague memory of Yuu placing her hand over his shoulder before bringing her up to the surface from underwater. She had no idea what really happened but she guessed that she was probably drowning at that time considering she couldn't move and was slowly sinking into the depths of the water. However, the memory have uncovered a big secret - there is a different side of Yuuji Yoshifumi that if she weren't mistaken...only Fuyuki was aware of. It made her really curious as to what kind of person Yuu really is.

Another thing that triggered her curiosity about Yuu was the fact that he admitted to using a stun gun to attack a student causing the person to be hospitalized. Isabella swore that guy got attacked by his own friend by accident. After all, she saw it herself as she happened to pass by the place when the incident occurred. Due to her father literally begging her to turn a blind eye at that time, Isabella had no choice but to cooperate. She let her father take care of things but...who would have thought his father pushed all the blame on Yuu? She sighed. Had she known this would have happened, she would never yield to his father.

'Isabella, you should not be out in the cold.' she ignored her father and heard him sigh before walking towards her.

'Look, I know you're mad about the case with Yuu but its really not as it seems.'

'Yes, you're certainly right...because you made him your scapegoat when he was the true victim!' Isabella turned to glare at his father.

'No, its not like that. I-'

'Father, I said I was never there because I knew I could trust you! I let you take care of everything and you gave me this? How could you do this to me? More importantly, how could you do this to HIM!' she started talking about how she should not have listened to his father and how things would have turned out differently for Yuu. Mr. Avery heave an exasperated sigh. Like mother, like daughter.

'Yuu would not tell the truth.' he said somewhere in between her blabbering and after a few moments when the information finally sunk into her mind she stopped in her tracks and looked at his father.

'He WHAT?'

'You heard me. I can't defend him even if I wanted to.'

'Why did he do that?'

'I don't know...but I think the bullies had something to do with it. They all grouped together and pointed their fingers to him. Since Yuu already admitted his crime there was nothing I could do because if I said Yuu was innocent without any witness or prove and punished them instead, the people would say I'm being unfair.' Isabella shook her head in disbelief.

'Seriously...how could something like this happen?'

'I didn't see that incident coming either back then...Yuu was never one to provoke anyone.' her father said and sighed again. Isabella stared at his father for a moment. She had a hunch that her father might actually know something about the mysterious Yuu.

'Dad, what kind of person do you think Yuu is?'

'Well...I'd say Yuu's a rough diamond! He is a good child but he completely lacked the skills to communicate with others and he has a frightening temper in which only Fuyuki could tame.' Isabella turned to his father surprised.

'Yuu actually has a bad temper?'

'You'll be surprised at what he could do when he was angry.'

'Really?'

'Yes, but I'd rather we not talk about it. Why do you ask?'

'Nothing. I was just curious that's all. Anyway, isn't there anything we can do to help Yuu? I mean...he really wasn't the one at fault this time.'

'I'm afraid not. As long as Yuu admit he was the one who did it, there is nothing we can do.'

'I guess you're right dad. There really is nothing we can do.' She sighed. If Luke was here, he might actually be able to come up with something but on second thoughts...he might actually cause trouble instead. Isabella shook her head.

'Seriously, Yuu is such a pain in the neck.'

'Yeah...The only one person in this whole wide world who could ever take care of that child is...' Mr. Avery's voice trailed off suddenly as something seemed to have clicked in his mind. Apparently, the same thing was happening to Isabella as she was also in deep thought after hearing his father's words.

'I GOT IT!' The two exclaimed simultaneously and blinked at each other in surprise. Then, they smiled at each other knowingly.

* * *

'Ummm...Are we there yet?'

'Don't worry. We're almost there Shiro-nii.' Yoh said while holding Shiro's hand.

'You said the same thing five minutes ago and we're still walking. Can't I just take this thing off right now? It's so dark I can't see anything.' Shiro attempted to remove his blindfold with his free hand but Hao batted his hand away.

'Stop it. If you keep on doing that we're going home.'

'Aww come on...can't I even take a small peek?'

'NO!' Yoh and Hao exclaimed and Shiro flinched.

'Look Shiro, we're really close already so just put up with it a little bit longer.'

**['Trust me, it's worth the fear considering I don't accompany you to the city often.']** Hao mentally added and Shiro sighed in response.

**['Hao-nii, I think we're close enough.']** Yoh told Hao mentally. Hao looked ahead before turning to Yoh and giving a nod of agreement. The three came to a halt.

'Okay Shiro-nii, we're here so you can take off the blindfold now.' Shiro hastily removed the blindfold and gasped in awe completely mesmerized by the scene in front of him. The numerous lights everywhere illuminated the darkness of the night. LED lights were seen outlining the tall buildings in the background of a huge christmas tree that stood a few metres in front of him.

'It's beautiful isn't it Shiro-nii?' Yoh asked Shiro who merely nodded still not taking his eyes off the tree.

The chrismas tree was about 15 feet tall, beautifully decorated, and well lit. There were sparkling ornaments from the top till the bottom of the tree and the LED lights were glittering every branches of the tree with a lighted star adorning the centre top.

Yoh and Hao stared at Shiro who was completely captivated by the christmas tree before glancing at each other smiling. After that, they both stared at the christmas tree in silence the same way Shiro was doing right now.

'I should really bring Anna here some other time.' Yoh said absentmindedly as he continued staring at the Christmas trees. Shiro smiled at his younger brother.

'Yoh, do you really love Anna?'

'WHAT?'

Hao on the other hand let out a stifled laughter.

'Geez...You're always so blunt Shiro-chan.' Hao said.

'Don't address me with that word! I'm fifteen you know! Plus, I was just asking!' Shiro pouted and turned to Yoh waiting for his answer.

'I was just asking.'

'Well...' Yoh's face turned red.

'Of course Yoh does. Why are you asking him such a question anyway? It's not like his love life has anything to do with you. Unless...could it be that...you fell in love with Anna?' Hao asked as he flashed a knowing smile.

'OF COURSE NOT! It just that...well...you two don't seem to be...' Shiro's voice trailed off.

'We don't seem to be what?' Yoh asked.

'Umm...uhhh...how do I put it...' Shiro thought for a moment scratching his head as he looked into his mind for the right words to say.

'You two don't seem to be actually in love with each other?' Hao guessed.

'Yes! You two don't seem to be actually in love with each other! I didn't mean to offend you in any way but...judging by the way you two interacted with each other everyday, you looked more like friends to each other rather than couples.' Shiro said. This time, it was Yoh who scratched his head.

'Well...our relationship is kind of...complicated.'

'Was it really complicated or you're just too scared to take the first step?' Hao asked teasingly and Yoh sighed in defeat.

'Is Anna really that scary?' Shiro asked.

'She might not seem scary to the both of you, but to me she's one of the most frightening person I've ever met in my life besides...the old Asakura Hao.' Yoh said carefully as he stared at Hao. Thankfully, Hao merely gave him a wry smile.

'Every journey begins with the first step Yoh. How about you invite Anna out for a date some other time?'

'No thanks. I'm sure she will decline the offer.'

'How do you know? You haven't even try yet-Ouch!' Hao smacked Shiro on the head.

'Don't go around poking your fingers into someone else's love life especially when you're clueless about love yourself.'

'I was just giving him a suggestion. It's not like he's going to do it anyway. Geez, you don't have to hit so hard...' Shiro pouted as he rubbed his sore head.

'Anyway, now that you know what a christmas tree is, the time for sightseeing is over. Let's go home.'

'EH? B-B-But-'

'No more buts. It's almost 11 already.' Hao cut Shiro off and dragged the two away.

'Hao-nii, don't you think we left a little too...early?' Yoh said.

'As for you...yes but as for Shiro...no. I'm starting a new training regimen for Shiro tomorrow so I need to make sure he had enough rest. It'll be dangerous for him if he were to doze off in the middle of his training. Am I correct Shiro?'

'Y-Yes...' Shiro said a little reluctantly as watched the christmas tree dissappear from view forlornly. Once they've arrived somewhere isolated, Hao summoned his Spirit of Fire and sent Yoh home first before returning home with Shiro.

* * *

The next day...

'Good morning Hao-sama.' Luchist and Opacho greeted simultaneously as Hao walked into the dining hall. Hao nodded in acknowledgement as he took his seat.

'Where's Shiro?' Hao asked and Luchist's expression became worried. Hao sighed.

'Shiro's addmission into Yoh's school got revoked isn't it?' Luchist and Opacho blinked in surprise.

**['Just as I thought...']** Hao shook his head.

'How do you know Hao-sama?' Opacho asked before Luchist could. Hao smirked.

'I know everything Opacho. Plus, I once used to be Tsuzuki's personal assistant in his company when I was Fuyuki Yoshifumi so it wasn't all that hard to guess what he was going to do at the moment. Shiro told you not to say anything about it didn't he?' Luchist nodded. Hao sighed.

'Luchist, send me to their house immediately after we finished our meal.'

'Yes, Hao-sama.'

'That Tsuzuki is always so troublesome...' Hao muttered and shook his head.

* * *

'Achoo!' Tsuzuki sneezed.

'Tsuzuki, don't tell me your catching a cold.' Sayuri turned to his husband while combing her hair in front of the mirror.

'It's either that or someone's talking about me behind my back.' Tsuzuki told her wife. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

**['He was a lot more faster than I expected.'] **Tsuzuki thought amused as he smiled at his wife.

'Come in.' A teenage girl with formal clothing went in followed by Shiro.

'Forgive me for intruding so early in the morning Tsuzuki-sama, Sayuri-sama but Yuuji-kun insisted so-'

'You're not addressing Yuu correctly.' Sayuri said sternly surprising the girl for a moment. She bowed at her.

'F-Forgive me Sayuri-sama.'

'It's okay Aria-san. You can leave now.' Shiro interrupted quickly and the girl flashed her a thankful look before rushing out of the room looking almost frightened.

'So what brings you here Yuu?' Tsuzuki asked.

'Why do you disallowed the school from taking me in Tsuzuki-sama?' Shiro asked going straight to the point.

'We have a lot of answers for that question Yuu. Which answers do you want?' Sayuri asked the boy.

'What do you mean?'

'For one, you're using OUR names to get into the school.' Shiro's changed expression told her he got the hint and she smiled.

'We understand that you don't have any certificates or documents to confirm your identity as an Asakura but although the chances are quite low, we're still unsure if you're going to end up returning to your real family's side so don't you think it would be troublesome to have Yoshifumi as your last name when your brother's last name was Asakura?' Shiro looked away. Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. Aria poked her head in from the door warily.

'S-S-Sorry for the intrusion again...t-there's a call from Mr. Avery. W-Would you like to answer?' She held up the phone.

'Avery?' Tsuzuki's expression turned serious as he glanced at Sayuri who nodded and stood up. Shiro yelped as Sayuri roughly shoved him out the door.

'We'll talk later. Anyway Yuu, as long as you still haven't given us your answer to our deal, you don't deserve to use any name.' Sayuri said without waiting for a reply and slammed the door in his face. Shiro blinked for a few moments.

'Deal? What deal?' He scratched his head as he walked away in a daze.

* * *

'Yoh, where are you going?' Yohmei asked as he watched Yoh wear his sandals. Yoh smiled.

'I'm going to see Shiro-nii and Hao-nii.'

'Yoh, you've been skipping training a lot just to spend time with them! The Shaman tournament will return at any moment! If you keep slacking off like this you'll never be able to become stronger! '

'Don't worry about it. Everything will definitely work out.' Yoh said as he slide open the door.

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT? HAO IS ALIVE! IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE THIS HAO'S GOING TO END UP KILLING YOU AS A REVENGE!' Yoh turned to his grandfather.

'Killing me as a revenge? For what?' Yoh asked and Yohmei paled at the question.

'Uh...well...' Yohmei gulped.

'Jii-chan...Hao-nii changed already. He won't do something like that anymore. I don't get it. Why can't you give him a second chance?' Yoh said.

'Yoh, you don't understand. Hao will never change-'

'I'm off!' Yoh said quickly and ran off before his grandfather could start blabbering about the evilness of Hao like he always did. Manta appeared just then.

'Hey Yoh-kun, where are you goINGGGGGGGGG!' Manta exclaimed as Yoh carried him up and took off with him.

Once the inn was out of sight, Yoh placed Manta down.

'Sorry, Manta. I was going to visit my brothers.'

Suddenly, Amidamaru appeared beside Yoh.

'Yoh-dono...'

'Huh? Amidamaru how did you get here? I thought Anna had you sealed up in your mortuary tablet.'

'Yes, but Kino-dono had told Anna-dono to release me because she said you're safer with me around.'

'I see...Well, it can't be helped since I've been spending a lot of time with Hao-nii, the strongest shaman in the world who once attempted to annihilate humanity.' Yoh grinned sheepishly.

'That is until Shiro-kun appeared.' Manta said and Yoh smiled proudly.

'Yeah...thanks to Shiro-nii not only I got to spend time with him, I won't have to worry about Hao trying to kill you whenever you're with me since he already stopped hating humans!' Manta let out a nervous laugh at that.

'Something that wouldn't have happened if Hao was still his old self.' Amidamaru stated and Yoh nodded in agreement. They turned at the corner and saw Keiko carrying a bag of groceries.

'Huh...what are you doing here?' both Keiko and Yoh asked each other at the same time.

'Boss!' they turned and saw Ryu running towards them.

'Hey Ryu! What's up?'

'Boss, can my friends come to your house tonight? We want to throw a party and we can't think of doing it anywhere else besides your inn.'

'If Anna says okay it won't be a problem. What kind of party are you going to throw anyway?'

'Christmas party of course! What else?'

'Eh...It's Christmas already?' Yoh asked surprise evident in his face.

'Haven't you realized it Yoh?' Keiko asked.

'Realize what?'

'It's Christmas eve today Yoh-kun.' Manta said.

* * *

'Morning Shinagawa-sensei, Iria. Is there anything I can do to help in here?' Shiro asked the two as he entered the kitchen. He stiffened when Iria abruptly ran towards him and gave him a bone crushing hug.

'Yuu, thank god you're alright! You idiot! Why do you have to go M.I.A for so long? Do you know how serious your injuries were? Do you know how many servants Tsuzuki-sama sent out just to look for you and Fuyuki? Do you know how noisy Sara and Kaoru have been pestering everyone if they knew where you both were? The whole house went upside down all because of you two morons! Worst of all, I couldn't get any precious sleep because you had us all worried!' Iria exclaimed.

'Iria...I can't...breathe...'

'You two are always like that! Always hiding things from everyone! How on earth are we supposed to know anything when you didn't even say a word!' Iria continued as she obviously didn't pay any attention to what Shiro was saying.

'Ummm...Iria?' Shinagawa called the girl gently.

'Yuuji Yoshifumi! The next time you ever do something like that again I'll kill you!'

'Iria...'

I MEAN IT!'

'Iria!' Shinagawa called out.

'WHAT?' She was shouting at Shinagawa. Shinagawa sighed and pointed at Shiro. She turned to him and that was when she noticed his face have turned blue.

'Ohhh...' she finally pulled back from the hug and Shiro took a long deep breath.

'Y-You almost killed me Iria...' Shiro said hoarsely as he walked a few steps back to distance himself from her.

'One more thing, do you know what rumors have I heard about you during your freaking absence?' Shiro stared at her with a questioning look.

'First of all, you're going to leave St. Mary. Is that true?'

'No, not anymore...my admission to the school have been withdrawn thanks to Tsuzuki-sama.'

'Okay, next question. We don't believe it one bit but it was said you used a stun gun to attack a student causing the student to be hospitalized. Was that true as well? Don't you dare lie to me about this one.' Iria threatened. Shiro averted his eyes.

'I'm not answering that one.'

'Then it's true what they said?'

'Like I said, I'm not going to answer.'

'But-'

'That's enough for today Iria. Get back to your work.' Shinagawa told Iria sternly. Iria reluctantly walked away and started chopping some onions. Shiro stared at her confused.

'You're not going to ask me about it Shinagawa-sensei?' the said woman shook her head as she smiled.

'No. Because I know you were lying.' Shiro's face paled.

'Don't worry, I won't say anything Yuu. Though...just so you know, I understand you well enough to be able to tell that you would never do something like that Yuu.' Shinagawa stopped with what she was doing and walked towards Shiro. She knelt down so that she was on the same eye level as him.

'I know you have your own reasons for admitting that crime and I trust you know what you're doing. So, I won't ask.' Shiro looked away.

'So it wasn't true after all...You should have just said it then. I almost thought I misjudged you.' Iria sighed in relief. She pat on his back and much to her shock he falls over.

'YUU!'

'You accidentally touched one of the wounds on his back. Look!' Shinagawa pointed at the area where she pat him on his back. It was slowly being covered by blood stains.

'Oh my god I'm so sorry Yuu! I didn't know it would hurt so badly. Y-You should have said something if it hurts so much idiot!' She said to the boy who was trying his best to endure the pain.

'S-SHUT UP! YOU'RE ANNOYING! ' he retorted albeit he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

'Go get Nakamura-san for me Iria.' Shinagawa told her and she left quickly.

* * *

Yoh stopped in front of the torii leading to the shrine.

'Shiro-sama was right all along. You really did came.'

'Oh...its you Fyra-chan, Sephira-chan.'

'Hao-sama and Shiro-sama's away at the moment. They went to see the Yoshifumi's.' Sephira said.

'I see. Wait...why aren't you with Shiro-nii?' Fyra heave an annoyed sigh.

'We have to take care of her.' Fyra directed his glare at Emily who was sitting on the verandah swinging her legs back and forth while watching the snow.

'It can't be helped Fyra. It's Shiro-sama orders.' Sephira said.

'I don't get it. Why can't Shiro-sama just revive her from the dead like he did with the rest? That would have easily solved all the problems.' Fyra grunted.

'Shiro-nii could revive the dead? Like Hao?'

'Of course he can, he's the one who-Ouch! What was that for?' Fyra glared at Sephira who hit him.

**'Shiro-nii...he must have seen a lot of bad memories in her to have rather let her pass on than to revive her...'** Yoh thought to himself. He walked towards the girl.

'Can I sit with you?' Emily shrugged.

'Suit yourself.'

'Thank you.' They sat in silence for a moment.

'Your name is Emily right?'

'Yeah...' was the stiff reply.

'Say Emily-chan, your from America right?'

'None of your concern. Mind your own business.' Emily said coldly.

'I went to America once. Unfortunately, I went there for the purpose of participating in the Shaman tournament so I don't really get the chance to get a better look at the surroundings there. There were participants in the Shaman Fight that attempted to get rid of other participants so we have to be on high guard at all times. Not to mention Hao-nii was one of our enemy at that time.' Yoh said and his face turned sad.

'I nearly killed Hao-nii back then you know...' Emily stared at Yoh in shock.

'He tried to take Great Spirit by force so there was no other choice but to fight him. At first, I lost and he absorbed my soul but I got out.'

'Not you as well.' Emily muttered.

'Eh?'

'I heard from Shiro-kun. His soul was also absorbed by him once before.'

'Yeah...but his was worst. My soul was trapped there for only less than a day while his soul have been trapped there for fifteen years...Fifteen solid years and yet no one knows about it. He must have felt really sad and lonely when he thought about it.'

'That's not all! I'm also FURIOUS when I thought about it!' Fyra said through gritted teeth as he glared at Yoh. Yoh let out a nervous laugh.

'It doesn't matter anyway, he's a changed person now so good for the both of you.' Emily said.

'Yeah...what about you, do you have any brothers or sisters Emily?'

'Why do you care? I've got nothing to do with you!'

'Well, I was curious and I wanted to get to know you better.' There were silence for a few moments.

'Come on, tell us.' Sephira urged. Emily stared at her boots.

'I don't know...I can't remember.'

* * *

Nakamura glared at the boy who was currently sitting in front of him with his back facing him.

'I see you've gotten more injuries.' He noted as he stared at some gashes that are aligned in three to four parallel lines and a few bruises here and there that he was ABSOLUTELY sure he had never seen it before. He sighed and started cleaning the wounds.

'What got you this time? A hand rake of some sort?' Shiro scratched his head.

'Umm...well...how do I put it...a crashed staircase?'

'WHAT?'

'Owwww! Don't press so hard!'

'Sorry...got carried away.' Nakamura sighed again.

'Look, you can't go on like this forever. You need to lay off once in a while.' Nakamura advised as he started wrapping the bandages on his wounds.

'I know...but I can't help myself. Old habits die hard.' Shiro said and yawned sleepily.

'Don't tell me you didn't sleep at all since last night?'

'Sort of.'

'I thought I told you before, you need to have-'

'-8 hours of sleep per day. Not more, not less. I know. You've said it many times already. It's not like I refused to sleep or anything. I just can't get my mind off that Christmas tree I saw last night so I barely slept.' Shiro yawned again. Nakamura blinked.

'What about that christmas tree?'

'Well...its big...and really pretty...with lots of sparkles in it.' he said drowsily and yawned. He shook his head left and right in an attempt to stay awake.

'Yuu, how long did you sleep last night?'

'Uhhh...About an hour or so maybe...' Shiro yawned again.

'I'm going to need some coffee to last through the day.' He mumbled to himself.

'No, you're not taking any coffee. You're going to bed as soon as I'm done bandaging your wounds. No questions asked.'

'You sounded like Aniki when you said 'no questions asked' you know...'

'It doesn't matter who I sounded like. Just make sure you go to bed after this. Are we clear?' Silence...

'Yuu?' He tilted his head and saw Shiro already dozing off.

'I'll take that as a yes then.' He muttered. He finished bandaging the wounds shortly after and since he didn't have the heart to wake the boy who had fallen into an exhausted slumber, he carried him all the way back to his room.

* * *

The car came to a halt in front of the gate.

'Thanks for the ride Luchist.' Hao said and stepped out of the car. The car drove off and he walked towards the gate. Just as he was about to ring the bell, the honking of a car made him turn to the right. A limousine pulled over and the chauffeur came out of the car to open the backdoor. Isabella was the first to step out of there followed by her parents.

'Fuyuki!' Isabella ran towards the boy and was about to give him a friendly hug when Hao suddenly darted to the left and she went past him. She would have ended up fallen directly on her face had Hao not caught her in time.

'You okay there Isabella?' Hao asked.

'Yeah...thanks. That was a close call.' She stood up and dusted her clothing. Once she was done, she frowned at the boy.

'Why did you avoid me just now Fuyuki?'

'You sure you want me to say it?' Hao glanced briefly at Isabella's mother and she got the hint immediately.

'I-It's okay. I get it now.'

Mr. Avery cleared his throat and that was when Isabella remembered what she was supposed to do.

'I-I go to go. See you later Fuyuki.' Isabella said and went in followed by her mother who had an expression as stiff as a board as she walked past him.

'Fuyuki-kun, there's something I'd like to talk to you about.' Mr. Avery approached him after the two left.

* * *

'Hi everyone!' Isabella greeted as she entered the living room.

'Isabella?'

'Karin? What are you doing here?'

'She's not the only person here Isabella.' Haruka interrupted.

'Haruka, you're here too?'

'Yeah, we're here to see Yukino.'

'Oh, is that so?' Isabella asked and just then, Yukino came in.

'Sorry for the wait Haruka, Karin but here's your tea-Isabella? What are doing here?'

'Father wanted to see Tsuzuki and Sayuri so mom and I tagged along. Where's the others?'

'Shinichi, Kaoru and Sara are still sleeping. Where are your parents at the moment?' Yukino looked around the place in search of his parents.

'Mom went to the garden while Dad went to talk with your parents.'

'You're really late Yukino. Did you run into something?' Haruka asked.

'Yeah...I ran into Nakamura-san on my way to the kitchen.' Yukino said and her mind flashed back to the awkward moment when she saw an unconscious Yuu being carried on Nakamura's back. She sure hope he's okay.

'Anyway, considering you're both here I suppose you two already know about the incident where Yuu used a stun gun to attack a student causing the student to be hospitalized so you might as well participate in this.' Isabella told Haruka and Karin. There were a silence as Haruka and Karin glanced at each other.

'Yuu used a stun gun to attack a student causing the student to be hospitalized. Karin, I didn't hear wrongly did I?' Haruka asked.

'No, you didn't. That was the main reason I called you here.' Yukino answered Haruka's question.

'You mean...you weren't calling us to convince him back to our school?'

'That was before I found out about that incident.'

'Convince him back to school? What are you guys talking about?' Isabella asked confusedly.

'You didn't know? Yuu was going to transfer to another school.' Haruka said.

'WHAT?'

'Forget that, right now we need to find out what really happened in the stun gun incident. According to Tsuzuki, Yuu admitted commiting the crime himself. Haruka, Karin, you both know as well as I do that it's completely absurd for him to ever do such a thing.'

'So you want us to come up with a plan for him to come clean?'

'No, I already had a plan in mind Haruka. However, I'm going to need some help from the two of you and most importantly-'

'You're going to need me.' the four turned to the source of voice in surprise.

'F-Fuyuki...' Yukino called out to him. Somehow, he didn't look very happy.

'I assume you already heard everything Fuyuki?' Haruka asked.

'Yeah...but what you didn't expect Yukino is that we would be receiving extra help from Isabella and her father as well.' Yukino turned to the said girl.

'Really? You're here to help Yuu?' Isabella nodded.

'My father and I owe him one.'

'Ummm...Is it okay for you and you father to do that? I mean...your mother wasn't very fond of Yuu and Fuyuki right?' Karin said.

'Well, once we cleared things up mom would surely see them in a new light.'

'Just make sure you don't get Yuu into more trouble instead.' Yukino said.

'Anyway, anyone of you seen Shiro? He is somewhere in this mansion.'

'Yuu's here?' Haruka asked and Hao nodded.

'Umm...I saw him with Nakamura a few moments ago.' Yukino said.

'Okay. I'm going then. See you later.' Hao said and walked away despite Haruka calling out to him.

* * *

'Sayuri-san, let him rest just this once.' Shinagawa pleaded as she stopped the couple from making their way towards his room.

'It's daytime right now not nighttime. Now is not the time for him to be sleeping. He should be awake. WIDE. AWAKE. He's neither an owl nor a bat. He's supposed to be diurnal not nocturnal. Move.' Sayuri brushed past Shinagawa.

'Tsuzuki-san please, do something!'

'S-Sayuri, why don't we let him go this time?'

'Oh, so you're on their side and not mine?'

'That's not it. I understand your reasons perfectly but you know Yuu. He probably did it this time because he simply was too tired.'

'Yes, but it still doesn't mean he could do whatever he wants. He needs to wake up. We have guests here so he should at least greet them.' She said sternly and headed for his room but Nakamura stood in front of the door and blocked the way.

'Please leave him alone. He's showing obvious signs of not getting enough sleep. Let him rest for the day.'

'I know what I'm doing Nakamura. Step aside else I won't show you any mercy.' Nakamura hesitated.

'Step. Aside.' The man sighed and did as he was told reluctantly. Needless to say, Yuu's in for a rude awakening.

Sayuri opened the door slowly before entering the room and closing the door behind her. She waited for her eyesight to adjust to its surroundings as she could barely make out the silhouette of the furniture considering the window curtain had prevented most of the sunlight from entering the room. She silently walked towards the sleeping figure careful as to not disturb his peaceful slumber yet. She gently took the pitcher on the night stand before raising the container above the head of the sleeping boy. She slowly inclined the pitcher.

Once she was facing the sleeping boy however, she paused and blinked a few times. As he had his body curled up in a fetal position, he looked strangely...vulnerable. Sayuri looked at the night stand before turning to the boy once again. She sighed and returned the pitcher back to its original position on the night stand. She was about to tuck him in bed but once she touched his blanket, his eyes abruptly snapped open. Much to Sayuri's surprise, he screamed his lungs out when he sees her and moved away so quickly from her that he fall out of the bed on the other side. What's more, she could hear his rapid breathing even from where she stood. The door to his room slammed open and Tsuzuki rushed to Sayuri's side while Nakamura, and Shinagawa rushed to the other side where the boy sat panting heavily.

'What happened? What did you do?' Tsuzuki asked.

'I-I didn't do anything!'

'Yuu, are you alright?' Nakamura asked gently and the said boy breathed a sigh of relief as his breathing slowly calmed down.

'W-W-Where am I Nakamura-sensei?' he asked hoarsely.

'Your room of course. Where else?' Sayuri said.

'Oh...I see...I'm in my room...' The boy said to himself and nodded. He stood up shakily and went to switch on the lights. While doing so, he was leaning his body against the wall for support.

'Yuu, are you okay?' Shinagawa asked worriedly and he nodded. He turned to Sayuri.

'Sorry about that. I was merely half awake just now.'

'I-I see...' was the reply.

'Anyway, we have guests. At the very least, you should go and greet them Yuu.'

'I understand.' the said boy headed towards the bathroom. Suddenly he halted and turned to Sayuri.

'Ummm...please don't do that again. You nearly scared me out of my skin.' he said and quickly entered the bathroom. A few moments later, the sound of running water could be heard from within.

* * *

'Come on, you two! Get up already!' Shinichi said getting frustrated at being ignored by Sara and Kaoru who just kept on sleeping.

'5 more minutes...' Sara mumbled.

'10 more minutes...' Kaoru mumbled.

'Oh...then make it ten for me too...' Sara mumbled again. Both went back to their respective sleep.

'Look! If mom finds out about this she's going to kill you both for oversleeping! You know her laws-perfectionism! punctuality! efficience! et cetera! So get up!' Shinichi yelled and pulled away the blankets. Sara sighed and got up.

'You're noisy...' she said drowsily and yawned as she stretched.

'Finally!' Shinichi muttered.

Sara then proceeded to shook Kaoru awake.

'Come on, Kaoru-nee. We have to wake up else Kaa-san will get mad.' Kaoru shoved her hands away.

'10 more minutes...'

'Go take a shower first Sara. I'll wake her.' Sara gave a few nods and headed for the bathroom. Shinichi sighed.

'Kaoru, come on. Wake up. You're supposed to be awake since two and a half hours ago. It's a good thing Yukino and I told Sayuri we'll be the ones waking you up today. Otherwise, Kaa-san would've poured water on your face two and a half hours ago.' Shinichi shook his head when the girl wouldn't budge. He thought for a short moment when an idea dawned on him.

'Fine, Kaoru. Since you want to sleep so much, then by all means go ahead. Just don't blame me if your dessert got eaten by someone else alright?' Kaoru instantly shot up at the mention of desserts now completely awake.

'NO ONE TAKES KAORU'S DESSERTS!' Kaoru exclaimed and quickly got off her bed before going into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

'Wow...works like a charm.' Shinichi said surprised yet amused at the same time.

* * *

Shiro sighed as he walked past the corridor. Servants greeted him on the way and he did the same. Just when he was about to turn in a corner, he saw his brother coming from the opposite direction.

'Aniki!'

'Come with me.'

'Wha-'

Hao caught his arms and continued walking with Shiro in tow. He dragged him towards the library. Once he slammed the door behind him, he looked left and right suspiciously for anyone who might be in the library. Shiro looked around wearily as well and when he was sure no one was around focused his gaze back at his brother.

'Aniki, what's all this?' Hao sighed and leaned his back on the door arms crossed.

'You didn't told me anything about it.' He said simply. Shiro scratched his head and looked away.

'Well...sorry about that. I couldn't tell you because I made a promise with Mr. Avery not to tell.'

'Do I look like a blabbermouth to you?' Hao said now annoyed.

'N-No! That's not what I meant! At first I was going to tell you but...I'd promised not to tell. Plus, you were already having problems with your school assignments. Kaoru accidentally reformatted the computer so all the documents were completely erased including one of your almost finished assignments. You know...the one with William something...' Hao blinked and a memory drifted past him.

-Flashback-

Hao was busy flipping through books and jotting down important notes that hopefully could be of help in his assignments while Shiro and a few servants continued stacking more and more books from the home library on the table which they find helpful in his assignments. Shiro placed a few more books into the pile.

'Ummm...Aniki, there's something I need to tell you.'

'I know you've already hand in your assignments today but can't you tell I'm busy?' Hao said annoyed.

'Well...it's kind of important.' Hao sighed.

'Look, no matter how important it is it won't be as important as finishing my assignments okay? The deadline for handing in this assignment is this Friday which is in two more days. Since you've already hand in yours, help me out.'

'Umm...okay. If you say so...' Shiro walked away to get more books.

'Damn it, I was so close to finishing this assignment and that damned Kaoru have to wipe out everything.' Hao muttered under his breath.

-End of flashback-

'I see. So that's what you want to talk about when I was doing the assignment on William Shakespeare...' Hao said.

'Yeah...'

'You never bring up that topic again though.'

'Well...you never asked either.' Shiro smiled playfully. Hao smiled shook his head.

'Alright, you got me this time. What happened anyway? Why are you admitting the crimes THEY do?'

'Ummm...was it really this unbelievable for me to commit a crime here?'

'As someone who knew you very well, yes.'

'Promise not to tell?' Hao rolled his eyes.

'Fine fine fine. I promise okay? Now talk.' Shiro sighed.

'I was on my way to buy Isabella some drink while she was doing revision at the library. It was already dark but unexpectedly, I met the bullies who happened to be waiting for someone. They saw me and asked me to hand over my money. Of course, I refused which prompted them to attack me. Somewhere in between another person came. Probably the person they've been waiting for. I will not say who so don't bother to ask. Anyway, back to our story, he stopped them and told them to leave me alone but they refused. Especially the one which I assume was the leader bully because-'

'You dodged all of their attacks so they couldn't even lay a finger on you?'

'Yeah...as he was furious, he start attacking again with even more force this time. His followers did the same. After fighting for a short moment, he took out a stun gun and started swinging that thing at me. The guy who told them to leave me alone decided to help me out. He managed to get in between me and the bullies and took me away from there. Unfortunately at some point, I tripped and fell. Isabella and her father appeared by that place where I tripped just then. The leader bully who caught up with us attacked me with the stun gun but the guy who helped me protected me and so he became the victim of the stun gun instead. Strangely enough, he didn't blame the leader bully for what he'd done and he told me to forgive him which I did since I was not harmed in any way. However, as the school principal Mr. Avery just couldn't let this incident slide as the leader bully commited a really serious crime this time. Knowing the leader bully would be in big trouble if this incident is leaked to his parents, he begged the principal to forget about the incident as I have already forgiven him but Mr. Avery was unyielding. Finally he resorted to underhanded methods which is to let me take on the blame because he knew I was your brother and that Mr. Avery would definitely help me out since he was very fond of you. Considering I owe him one-'

'You decided to fulfill his request? _Sigh_...I should have known...'

'Sorry...'

'It's fine. You owed him one after all.'

'You're not mad?'

'Well, it can't really be helped. If I accidentally attacked you instead of the person I was aiming for surely the same situation would have occurred don't you think?' Shiro stared at Hao completely flabbergasted.

'Y-You knew who they were?'

'Yes, I knew and who they were and I knew the fact that the leader bully and the guy who protected you were brothers. Not to mention the fact the guy who protected you was a friend of Takumi and Shinichi which DEFINITELY contributed to your willingness in becoming the scapegoat.' Hao said slightly annoyed.

'S-Sorry...' Hao sighed.

'Like I said, it's fine. Besides, just by apologizing to me won't change anything. Anyway, what are you going to do now?'

'Eh?'

'Your school admission got withdrawn right?'

'Oh...that one.' Shiro sighed.

'What's the matter? Can't think of a good plan?' Shiro shook his head.

'It's a dead end no matter how I look at it. Guess the only thing I can do is to follow their wishes as usual.'

'Actually, if you would socialize with the others more, St. Mary is not that bad you know. They teachers there are quite good. I'll give them that.'

'Aniki, not you too!'

'For someone like you Shiro, that school should be one of the best places for you to seek for knowledge. Unless...you don't want to study and would rather focus on shamanism like Yoh.'

'No, I want to study but not this way! I want to be a normal average student like Yoh and Oyamada! Not the school's most popular guy or some sort of...freaking genius! I don't even know why they call me that when in reality I don't understand a single thing the teacher is teaching at all! Everyone thought that I'm good in studies when all I did was to memorize and regurgitate the things I read from books! Besides you, no one knew anything!'

'Shiro, you knew you can never be a normal person.'

'I know! But at the very least...I can pretend to be one right?' Hao didn't reply and Shiro sighed now annoyed.

'So much for trying to lead a more normal life.'

'Look, how about we tell them the truth?'

'Yeah right! They'll skin me alive!'

'Trust me, they won't. The deal you made with them is the best proof.'

'Uh...I know I'm not supposed to be asking this but, what deal exactly did I made with them?' The question went hanging in the air and a few moments later when the question sank in Hao smacked his forehead. He forgot about the deal? How could he forget something so important! Hao felt like giving him a good smack on the head. He sighed mentally.

There were times when Shiro really reminded him of Yoh.

'I couldn't remember the details but somehow...I felt it was a really important deal.' Shiro scratched his head. That did it.

_SMACK!_

Shiro fell onto the floor from the impact of his slap. He clutched his cheek.

'What the-'

'Figure it out for yourself. Don't always rely on me for everything.' Was the cold reply.

'But-' Hao smiled innocently and Shiro froze. That innocent smile could only meant one thing. He's in trouble. BIG TROUBLE.

'Shiro-chan...If your rusted brain hadn't figure everything out by the afternoon...' Hao said sweetly and suddenly his expression became dangerous.

'You'll know what are the consequences when we start your training. Are we clear?' Hao threatened. Shiro cowered in fear and gave a vigorous nod. Hao smiled sweetly again.

'Good. I'm sure you won't have any problems. It's not rocket science after all.' He said and left the place leaving his confused brother on the floor.

'W-What did I do?'


End file.
